'Watch out for those scary opinions'! Twitter introduces glorified speech police

Delicate flower Lena Dunham must be beaming right now. It seems the cries of special snowflakes like her for safe spaces have resonated with Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey:

Twitter stands for freedom of expression, speaking truth to power, and empowering dialogue. That starts with safety. https://t.co/PbEoM1lCyb

— jack ??? (@jack) February 9, 2016

Safety first, you guys!

Announcing the Twitter Trust & Safety Council, experts providing input into safety products, policies, and programs: https://t.co/J6cAqtolZa

— Twitter (@Twitter) February 9, 2016

More about this brilliant idea:

To ensure people can continue to express themselves freely and safely on Twitter, we must provide more tools and policies. With hundreds of millions of Tweets sent per day, the volume of content on Twitter is massive, which makes it extraordinarily complex to strike the right balance between fighting abuse and speaking truth to power. It requires a multi-layered approach where each of our 320 million users has a part to play, as do the community of experts working for safety and free expression.

That’s why we are announcing the formation of the Twitter Trust & Safety Council, a new and foundational part of our strategy to ensure that people feel safe expressing themselves on Twitter.

…

We have more than 40 organizations and experts from 13 regions joining as inaugural members of the Council. We are thrilled to work with these organizations to ensure that we are enabling everyone, everywhere to express themselves with confidence on Twitter.

 

Isn’t this all so exciting?

Coming soon: the Twitter Junior Antisex League #WarIsPeace #FreedomIsSlavery #IgnoranceIsStrengthhttps://t.co/ZR7dca4j7b

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) February 9, 2016

Recommended

Where Are the Rest of Them? FL Democrats Get Dragged for PATHETIC Pic of Handful of Biden Supporters

Amy Curtis

Advertisement

Twitter’s known for instituting changes that the public wholeheartedly embraces. So it should come as no surprise that tweeters are greeting this news with unbridled enthusiasm:

Good Lord. https://t.co/OJgCwCfOAi

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/jimmiebjr/status/697123226774847488

Is Twitter the new "safe space?" Ever heard of the block button? Sigh. https://t.co/76k6XjXlgI

— Corie Whalen (@CorieWhalen) February 9, 2016

GP Literally none of those things starts with safety. Just say "we're censoring bc liberals can't take free speech." https://t.co/z3BzrXh76P

— The Gormogons (@Gormogons) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/PlatosStudent/status/697125808842870784

Orwell was an amateur. https://t.co/KVeoNUskKq

— ?It's?Almost ⛄️Christmas? (@jtLOL) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/697124480590680064

https://twitter.com/FirstTeamTommy/status/697123201613238272

@jack Stop fucking with it.

— Afristotle (@Afristotle) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/Kayl_dunnyan/status/697115377109749764

https://twitter.com/Maxlewisuk/status/697104748957319169

Censorship only causes bad ideas to metastisize. Free speech exposes them to criticism. @jack

— (((Greg Camp))) ? (@GregCampNC) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/mrreality333/status/697112459807756288

https://twitter.com/EarlyGirlSC/status/697128112757334018

@jack Actually, shouldn't your job be making sure that Twitter stands for returning value to shareholders?

— alexandriabrown (@alexthechick) February 9, 2016

@jack is twitter to become 1.a "safe space' from free expression, or r 2. protecting individuals from bullies? 'Cause it looks like 1

— Scott Link (@iamscottlink) February 9, 2016

@jack Who gets to decide what's "safe?" Who gets do decide who's feelings matter?

— Ginger (@SoulessGinger8) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/Ann_Tagonist_/status/697122211165962240

@jack In general, "speaking truth to power" does not "start with safety". The opposite, in fact. That's the point.

— Not Jack (@notcalledjack) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/Makdaddyjake/status/697124646307516416

https://twitter.com/NoahPollak/status/697125079226966016

@jack @policy Twitter stands for freedom of expression, as long as it's APPROVED expression, right?

— Tucker Jerbs (@Tucker_Jerbs) February 9, 2016

@jack @policy Freedom of expression has absolutely nothing to do with safety. Where on Earth did you get that asinine idea?

— Michael Lemond (@lemond2007) February 9, 2016

Twitter has fully embraced #SJW values now, for all to see. Free speech isn't a priority, neither is stopping trolling. Fun while it lasted.

— John Schindler (@20committee) February 9, 2016

@jack @policy nothing to do with "safety"

— synonymous_dreams (@synonymous_drea) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/btrader/status/697125017654595585

Hey @policy, @jack, and @support, I'm a grownup. I don't need a "council" to protect my feelings. Quit censoring Twitter. #riptwitter

— Allen Covert (@THATAllenCovert) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/Daddy_Warpig/status/697122078865031168

https://twitter.com/GatorMusicInc/status/697125674096730112

No. No, it doesn't. Like, at all. @jack @policy

— Old Man McGucket (@Thewbert3) February 9, 2016

@jack That you could say such a foolish and contradictory thing tells me "Trust & Safety Council" will try to enforce "correct" thinking…

— Lucky Eat-Anter (@LuckyEatAnter) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/constellate_/status/697124300701179904

https://twitter.com/F_BinY/status/697126962049978369

[Patrick] So … Twitter is appointing a council of grievance organizations to police users. Us.

Not a single free speecher in the bunch.

— IWantNothingHat (@Popehat) February 9, 2016

.@Popehat if only Twitter had some way to block, mute, or protect our tweets from people we don't want to interact with.

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) February 9, 2016

@jack @policy pathetic

— Martin Devon (@MartinDevon) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/susanhaggard1/status/697125620753526784

https://twitter.com/ThePantau/status/697130702073176064

https://twitter.com/chuck_dizzle/status/697130586448617472

Bully proof windows, troll safe doors, nothing but kindness in here. https://t.co/QqMatlpBas

— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/Smythereens/status/697104689825853440

.@jack @policy freedom of expression*

*subject to censoring if we don't like your expression or if governments pay enough to silence you.

— Casey Biemiller (@cbiemiller) February 9, 2016

.@jack So if I like change my picture to Beyonce will the Dangerous Speech Council approve of me then?

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/davidharsanyi/status/697127097651884032

@jack @policy great just what we need. The marketplace of free ideas is dying on the vine. pic.twitter.com/nT7Z3vDzQ9

— Jim Burdo (@burdog41) February 9, 2016

GP To be fair, Twitter has every right to police content on its site. And users have every right to walk away for a startup competitor.

— The Gormogons (@Gormogons) February 9, 2016

Twitter stand for Freedom Of Expression*

*Subject to arbitrary censorship by sjws.

— Dr Hugo Hackenbush (@MangyLover) February 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/CuffyMeh/status/697121474742722561

***

Related:

Lena Dunham calls for more ‘barriers’ to protect women on Twitter

***

Don’t forget to check out Townhall.com’s live New Hampshire Primary results tonight!