Twitter: 'Let The Tweets Flow'

In the midst of another 'revolution' it finds itself associated with, Twitter is reminding the world that it's a medium, not a messenger.

Egypt has cut off the internet in an attempt to complicate demonstrations sweeping the nation in an attempt to bring down the 30-year-rule of President Hosni Mubarak. This time, individual internet services weren't targeted — just the entire internet itself.

Still, the #jan25 movement is a fact, and enough of one apparently for co-founder Biz Stone and General Counsel Alexander Macgillivray to praise Twitter's commitment to free expression and to reinforce its fundamental neutrality. The post does not mention Egypt specifically, which is not surprising since Twitter, for a change, hasn't been singled out by a repressive regime.

Our goal is to instantly connect people everywhere to what is most meaningful to them. For this to happen, freedom of expression is essential. Some Tweets may facilitate positive change in a repressed country, some make us laugh, some make us think, some downright anger a vast majority of users. We don't always agree with the things people choose to tweet, but we keep the information flowing irrespective of any view we may have about the content.

The open exchange of information can have a positive global impact. This is both a practical and ethical belief. On a practical level, we simply cannot review all one hundred million-plus Tweets created and subsequently delivered every day. From an ethical perspective, almost every country in the world agrees that freedom of expression is a human right. Many countries also agree that freedom of expression carries with it responsibilities and has limits.

The Tweets Must Flow [Twitter Blog]### See Also:

• Egypt Shut Down Its Net With a Series of Phone Calls
• Internet Down in Egypt, Tens of Thousands Protest In ‘Friday of Wrath’
• As Egypt Tightens Its Internet Grip, Tunisia Looks to Open Up
• Nuke Watchdog Wants to Lead Egypt Revolt. No, Really
• Tweeting Tyrants Out of Tunisia: Global Internet at Its Best