Should Congress Block Taliban Tweets?

The US has called on the popular micro-blogging site, Twitter, to block accounts, which post propaganda content from the Taliban.

According to Senator Joe Lieberman, the head of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, the move is part of a wider campaign to limit the space for extremists’ propaganda on the Internet and social media.

The Taliban had embraced social media to post updates on attacks, official statements from their leaders, and propaganda. They also upload videos of militant training, sermons by prominent members Taliban. It is believed they also use the sites to scour for new recruits.

Some of the more widely used accounts include @ABalkhi, which has more than 4,100 followers, and @alemarahweb, which has more than 6,200 followers. Both claim to be official websites of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”.

Senator Lieberman is well versed in increasing online censorship. In 2008, Google changed their rules for hosting videos on YouTube after the Senator complained about the site hosting films al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist movements.

Twitter representatives have yet to comment on the request, however Twitter some are speculating that Twitter will not accept the request, as the Taliban, un-like al-Qauda, is not registered as a foreign terrorist organization.

We often discuss both the positive and negative outcomes of social media, and perhaps this is a negative. Do you think that Twitter should block Talibal Twitter accounts? Share your thoughts with us on Digital Marketing News.

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How Much is a Twitter Follower Worth?

Ownership of online content is often ambiguous, specifically with the rise of social media. To that end, one company is confident in their ownership rights, they are sueing a former employee for the value of his Twitter followers.

Noah Kravitz worked for Phone Dog and tweeted on their behalf with the username @Phonedog_Noah. Over the course of his tenure, Kravitz attracted more than 17,000 followers for the company.

When Kravitz left PhoneDog in October 2010, he changed his Twitter handle to @noahkravitz and continued using the account, which he claims PhoneDog permitted.

It seems however, that PhoneDog is having second thoughts, and filed a lawsuit claiming the followers are a company lists, thus a company asset. PhoneDog is seeking $2.50 per follower, per month for a total of $340,000.

While it may be difficult to pinpoint a financial value to Twitter followers, one thing is certainly clear. Companies must create policies and regulations to safeguard their brands in the event of employee termination.

Corporate Twitter accounts are a controversial subject, as many are often controlled by individual personalities. However, companies must take the necessary steps to preserve their brand image, especially in a social space.

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