In recent years, Twitter has become embroiled in countless controversies over political bias and its apparent suppression of free speech on the platform. However, amid all the criticism, there is one straightforward way Twitter can promote free speech and civil liberties: Suspend leaders of oppressive regimes that do not give their own citizens access to the platform.
Twitter is currently blocked by authoritarian governments in China, Iran, and North Korea. However, Iran is the only one of these regimes with official accounts on the platform.
Leaders from the Islamic Republic of Iran have access to Twitter and regularly give their opinion on politics — often in English.
This is because these leaders aren’t using the platform to communicate with their own citizens, as most leaders around the world do. Instead, they use Twitter to communicate with other countries and to spew propaganda to the entire world.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently has permission to use the social media service, and spends his time tweeting about everything from Colin Kaepernick’s relationship with the NFL to Serena Williams. Yet as The Washington Post reported, his 2009 reelection bid led to Iran banning Twitter due to protestors using the service to organize against the government.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also allows himself the privilege of Twitter, and maintains four accounts in various languages. He regularly posts propaganda and criticisms of the United States despite preventing his own people from airing their own grievances on the platform. So if he blocks his own citizens from accessing it, why should Khamenei himself be allowed to use the platform?
Several other Iranian officials maintain Twitter accounts, including President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, among others, all of whom deem themselves, but not their citizens, worthy of the platform.
While many Iranians have found a way to access Twitter despite the ban, they are still breaking the prohibition.
The irony of these leaders having access to Twitter to spew misinformation about their country — while preventing their own people from joining the platform — is just too much to bear.
And it gets worse. Not only do they prevent their own citizens from accessing Twitter, in recent weeks, Iranian leaders have had the gall to complain about pro-government Iranian Twitter accounts being banned for spewing propaganda, and the Iranians even encouraged Twitter to ban pro-regime-change accounts they call “bots.”
Yes, only pro-regime propagandists can have access to Twitter in Iran .
If these regimes wish to prevent their citizens from fully immersing in the technological age of the 21st century, then they should use 20th century means to convey their messages. Back to print for you.
If Twitter truly believes in “free expression” and thinks “every voice has the power to impact the world,” as the company says on its website, then it should prevent Iranian leaders from having account privileges until they stop blocking millions of their citizens from accessing the platform.