Twitter reverses decision to block GOP candidate from promoting video

A Republican congressional candidate in California is accusing Twitter of censorship for briefly deciding not to allow her to run a campaign ad depicting gruesome images of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime.

A spokesperson for Twitter confirmed the video had been “momentarily” rejected for promotion due to inappropriate content, but said the company quickly reversed its decision.

“Upon further review of the ad, we feel that the imagery that violated the inappropriate content policy is fleeting enough, particularly given the overall tone and intention of the video,” they said.

Elizabeth Heng, who’s running against incumbent Rep. Jim Costa (D), said on Twitter Thursday that the decision was evidence that the company held anti-conservative bias.

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“Unfortunately, the tech companies are holding all of the power and have no apparent desire to correct biased censorship of their platforms,” Heng wrote. “When I’m elected I’ll fight for internet transparency, so that every American has a chance to be heard.”

Unfortunately, the tech companies are holding all of the power and have no apparent desire to correct biased censorship of their platforms. When I’m elected I’ll fight for internet transparency, so that every American has a chance to be heard.

— Elizabeth Heng (@ElizabethHeng) August 16, 2018

Twitter said it did not block the video, but rather temporarily prevented it from being promoted as an advertisement. Facebook took a similar action earlier this month before reversing itself.

Twitter’s definition of “inappropriate content” includes a range of criteria, one of which is the use of gruesome imagery.

Heng’s video can be found here.