COULD BE INCLUDED IN THEIR
DEFENSE.
>> THANK YOU.
LET’S BRING IN CHRIS KELLY,
PRIVACY OFFICE, FIRST GENERAL
COUNSEL AND HEAD OF MOBILE
PUBLIC POLICY AT FACEBOOK.
WITH A BIO LIKE THAT TO BORROW
FROM THE MUSICAL HAMILTON YOU
HAVE BEEN IN THE ROOM WHERE IT
HAPPENED.
WITH THAT IN MIND, TAKE US
INSIDE TWITTER AND HOW THEY MAKE
A DECISION LIKE THAT.
>> THIS WAS A HARD DECISION FOR
THEM TO MAKE AS IT IS FOR EVERY
MAJOR PLATFORM BUT ULTIMATELY
LOOK INCITEMENT THE PRESIDENT
HAD TAKEN WHEN HE WAS STILL
PRESIDENT THERE’S A DEEP
CONCERN.
TWITTER MADE THE DECISION TO BAN
HIM AND REINFORCED IT.
FACEBOOK DECIDED TO REFERRED
THAT TO THE OVERSIGHT BOARD IT
ESTABLISHED TO ALLOW VIEW OF
THESE CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS
BUT MARK AND THE TEAM AT THE
FACEBOOK WERE COMFORTABLE MAKING
THAT DECISION WAS REFERRING TO
THE OVERSIGHT BOARD TO MAKE SURE
THERE WAS AN OUTSIDE REVIEW OF
THIS.
JILLIAN: YOU HAVE BEEN INSIDE
FACEBOOK BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE NOT
INSIDE AS AN EMPLOYEE FOR
TWITTER OR THE OTHER COMPANIES
BUT WHAT IS YOUR OPINION, YOUR
EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE, DO YOU
THINK THESE COMPANIES, THESE
TECH COMPANIES SOCIAL MEDIA
GIANT PROVIDE A DIVERSE ENOUGH?
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO
CHANGE?
WE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME
TALKING ABOUT DONATIONS TO
DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGNS VERSUS
REPUBLICAN AND THERE’S A BIG
DIFFERENCE.
SHOULD SOMETHING BE DONE ABOUT THIS?
>> THERE IS A DEEP UNDERSTANDING
IN THESE TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
THERE IS SKEPTICISM ON THE PART
OF CONSERVATIVES AND
LIBERTARIANS AND SKEPTICISM ON
THE PART OF LIBERALS TOO ABOUT
HOW THEY MAKE THEIR DECISIONS
AND THEY TRIED TO PLAY DOWN THE
MIDDLE AS MUCH AS THEY CAN.
WHEN I WAS THERE, IT HAS BEEN 10
YEARS NOW, WE DEFINITELY TRY TO
FOCUS ON HOW TO MAKE THESE
DECISIONS IN THE BEST INTERESTS
OF PUBLIC INFORMATION AND HOW
POLITICAL FIGURES ARE ABLE TO
CONNECT WITH VOTERS BUT NOT TO
STEP ON TOO MANY LINES.
TODD: YOU CAN LOOK UP CHRIS’S
BIO ONLINE, HE IS A DEMOCRAT AND
DID RUN AGAINST SOMEBODY YOU MAY
RECALL, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF
CALIFORNIA WHO HAS A NEW JOB,
KAMALA HARRIS, BUT I UNDERSTAND
WHAT YOU’RE SAYING ABOUT
TWITTER.
MY QUESTION, HOW LONG CAN THE
TWITTER BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAIN
ITSELF IF IT IS TICKING OFF HALF
THE COUNTRY?
>> THAT IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES
PLATFORM FACES WHEN THERE’S A
BELIEF THEY ARE DISCRIMINATING
AGAINST ANYONE.
TWITTER HAS TO ADDRESS THAT AND
FACEBOOK BY REFERRING THESE TO
THE OVERSIGHT BOARD AND TRYING
TO PLAY THESE THINGS AS MUCH
DOWN THE MIDDLE AS THEY CAN.
TWITTER WILL CONTINUE TO TRY TO
ASSESS THESE THINGS BASED ON
OVERALL POLICIES AND DO THE BEST
THEY CAN BUT ULTIMATELY IN THE
MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS, IF ACTIONS
ARE TAKEN AGAINST PEOPLE WHO NO
LONGER BELIEVE IN THE PLATFORM
ULTIMATELY PEOPLE WILL LEAVE THE
PLATFORM.
JILLIAN: WAS THIS THE RIGHT
DECISION?
>> OBVIOUSLY THERE WERE A BUNCH
OF CHALLENGES POSED BY ADVOCACY
FOR INCITEMENT THAT YOU HAVE
SEEN THE PRESIDENT PRESENTED IN
THE LAST FEW DAYS PARTICULARLY
FOR IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS, BOTH
PLATFORMS, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
WERE COMFORTABLE WITH THE
DECISIONS AT THE TIME AND
FACEBOOK REFERRING TO THE
OVERSIGHT BOARD IS WILLING TO
HAVE THAT OUTSIDE ASSESSMENT.
WE WILL SEE IF TWITTER,
REAFFIRMATION ON THE PART OF THE
PRESIDENT OR ANYBODY ELSE WHO
WAS ACTIVE IN INCITING THE
INSURRECTION TO REPENT AND LOOK
AT THIS DIFFERENTLY.
TODD: YOU SEEM CONFIDENT IN THE
OVERSIGHT BOARD AT FACEBOOK.
GOT TO SEE IF IT WORKS.
WE HAVE TO SEE.
>> THEY HAVE REACHED OUT TO A
NUMBER OF FIGURES AND GLOBAL
FREE-SPEECH POLICY AND WE WILL
SEE HOW THAT GOES. IT MAY WORK OUT EXTRAORDINARILY
IT MAY WORK OUT EXTRAORDINARILY
WELL, IT MAY NOT WORK OUT
ULTIMATELY BUT WE WILL SEE AND
IT IS A BETTER APPROACH THAN