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Dorsey: Twitter has no influence over elections

28 October 2020
 Dan Ackermann

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Twitter does not have the ability to influence elections because there are ample additional sources of information, in response to questioning from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz during a hearing Wednesday.

Between the lines: The claim is sure to stir irritation on both the right and left. Conservatives argue Twitter and Facebook's moderation decisions help Democrats, while liberals contend the platforms shy from effectively cracking down on misinformation to appease Republicans.

Driving the news: Dorsey is testifying remotely alongside Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the much-discussed law that allows tech platforms to moderate content and not be held legally liable for it.

Flashback: Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Zuckerberg said it was "crazy" to think Facebook could sway an election, before revelations emerged that foreign actors attempted to meddle in the election using Twitter, Google and Facebook.

Reality check: Cruz has been hammering Twitter for its decisions around limiting access to the New York Post's controversial coverage of Hunter Biden, and used his questioning time at the hearing to berate Dorsey. He also made clear prior to the hearing he was looking for a fight.

  • "Who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report?" Cruz asked Dorsey. Dorsey said when users sign up for Twitter, they agree to its terms of service.
  • Dorsey said Twitter does not influence elections because people have the choice of using other communications channels.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.