The Shame of Twitter

[Terfulike]

Predictably I got blocked from twitter after Miranda Yardley's treatment made me peak peak trans

Radio 4 in a few minutes. 'Debate about Gender recognition laws'

The Twitter account that I made about three hours ago has been blocked. Apparently my account showed automated behaviours that contravene Twitter guidelines. I’m assuming that these automated behaviours are following the Twitter accounts of other gender critical women, as I haven’t even made a single tweet.

I believe some 'mass terf blocks' have an option that if a certain number of the accounts that you follow are on the 'blocked' list, your account will then be automatically blocked as well.

I finally remembered to look up what the GDPR says about automated decision making. As EU citizens, we have the right to:

• obtain human intervention to review the decision
• express our opinion
• obtain an explanation of the decision and challenge it

More information: ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-rights-relating-to-decisions-being-made-about-you-without-human-involvement/

Thanks for that David,
from the document:

You have the right:
• not to be subject to a decision that is based solely on automated processing if the decision affects your legal rights or other equally important matters (eg automatic refusal of an online credit application, and e-recruiting practices without human intervention)
• to understand the reasons behind decisions made about you by automated processing and the possible consequences of the decisions, and
• to object to profiling in certain situations, including for direct marketing."

After this section, reference is then made to 'organisations', so I'm not sure of the scope.

If 'mass terf blocks' are being run by individuals/groups but affect a significant number of people's use of Twitter as a significant public platform, do the highlighted points apply?

As far as I’m aware, there are no exceptions to the GDPR - if an individual is or a group are collecting personal data, then they have to comply with the rules. A “Data Controller” is defined as a person or business who determines the purposes for which, and the way in which, personal data is processed.

One thing to note is that the GDPR specifically recognises “digital personal data”, which includes a person’s social media accounts and their posts there.

IANAGDPRL but I would think that anyone running a ‘mass terf block’ would need to comply with the GDPR or suffer the consequences.

So perhaps relevant when:

a Twitter account is automatically blocked because it was following a specific number of others already (manually or also automatically) blocked.

Those accounts which cause the 'automated decision' are on lists described, publicised or understood as being for 'terfs / transphobes'.

The Twitter user now on the 'block list' may not know if /why or how they came to be on the list ( or indeed how the accounts that they have followed came to be on the list). They likely be unable to measure the consequences of this.

Having large parts of Twitter blocked may mean that you are unaware of being misrepresented / don't have full sight of conversations with influential accounts eg politicians etc / limited access to Twitter (does Twitter know?)

For some people having their identifiable Twitter account listed (terf/transphobe) may also have consequences with regards reputation? (I don't know how visible they all are although I believe some are shared openly-LM's ?)

Would being on a list characterised as being 'terfs/transphobes' be considered as profiling?

Hopefully someone better qualified will look into this. Aside from the possibility of GDPR breaches, I do think there is a need for further investigation.

I'm appalled at how women are being treated.

I never thought of myself as a feminist, and didn't think we really needed them anymore, tbh.

I thought that we were already pretty equal with men, and I didn't mind that men were stronger and could do some things better than me.

My eyes have been well and truly opened by the cultish ideology that is transgender though.

The things that they're allowed to get away with saying/doing, and the basic truths women are being banned/silenced for, speaks louder than a 1000 words about the fact that women are NOT seen as equal to men.

On the contrary, we are expected to shut up and be nice, as is befitting of 'us wimmin'. Or at least, that seems to be many people's view.

I just want to thank all the regular posters for opening my eyes and educating me. It's scary, and I sometimes wish that I had remained oblivious, but this is too important to ignore. If I don't fight against it, and just rely on others to do it for me, there may not be enough of us. So, to all of those watching from the sidelines: Now is the time to stick your head above the parapet and stand up for women's rights, before it's too late.

Join, and be counted.

If 'mass terf blocks' are being run by individuals/groups but affect a significant number of people's use of Twitter as a significant public platform, do the highlighted points apply?

Also what is the position of Madigan and Challenor as elected (minor) members of political parties tweeting in that role? Do Labour and Greens have any responsibility?

I guess we can tweet that 'a spade is a spade' can't we 🤫?

This morning I added a comment to a guardian opinion piece by C Lucas. Many were saying they were moving to greens from Labour etc. I posted the following and it was removed very quickly.

" I was going to join the Greens after leaving labour on account of their women only shortlists being made open to trans identifying men with penises. That was until I found out that the Greens have stated referring to women and trans as non-men. Yet another party erasing the word or the meaning of woman."

This really doesn't seem that bad to me. It's not about a person.

One thing to note is that the GDPR specifically recognises “digital personal data”, which includes a person’s social media accounts and their posts there.

YY. They also refer specifically to "online identifiers" like anonymous twitter handles and Mumsnet names, and to jigsaw identification across several info sources being a risk that processors need to bear in mind.

(Tweet)

Basically if you release information into the public domain when there is a reasonable expectation that it can be used to personally identify someone, you may be liable for the breach, and the greater the loss/distress the greater the penalty.

They specifically mention "a motivated intruder" doing this to identify political campaigners.

It's the mail again.

Twitter is BANNING women who 'speak out against trans ideology', feminists claim
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5787903/Twitter-BANNING-women-speak-against-trans-ideology-feminists-claim.html

Lisa Muggeridge tweet
twitter.com/lisamuggeridge4/status/1001916012923621377

I think the 50000 may refer to a 'mass terf block list'
discussed here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3212198-Green-Party-equalities-spokesperson-has-Twitter-blocklist-of-50-000

similar discussion here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3209207-Green-Party-blocking-30-000-women-on-twitter

Transgender Trend
(as featured in Guardian article www.theguardian.com/education/2018/may/15/transgender-row-teachers-afraid-challenge-breast-binding )

"Over the past 4 days we have faced a slew of libelous tweets and a campaign to derail our crowdfund campaign."

Twitter is banning people who misgender others. That is all. This is in line with the the definition of harassment by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Parliament and the courts. It is harassment and it's not ok. It's got nothing to do with whether it's a woman or a man doing it.

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/gender-reassignment-discrimination#what

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmwomeq/390/39009.htm

Twitter is banning people who are reported.
There are many comments (mostly by men) which are bigoted & cruel towards people who are transgender.
I wonder why it is mostly women and people who are GC who seem more often targeted.

Probably because they are the more high profile ones that are coming on to everyone's radar and therefore likely to get reported more?

Or because gender critical women and transsexuals are deliberately targeted by TRAs?

mmm I can see that could happen as well, yes.

I'd imagine most of the abuse from men is just casual male yobbery that a lot of people have to put up with so is sometimes ignored with a 'ho hum, what's the point?' type of attitude. Because gender critical women and transsexuals are perceived as campaigning against them it's probably only natural they'll be reported more.

Many of the abusive tweets by predominantly men, also seem to be from accounts which demonstrate what might be described as 'far right views'.
Last week's article in The Independent (see also Owen Jones' comment) identified this as the main threat to people who are transgender.

www.indy100.com/article/how-the-far-right-is-attacking-the-lives-of-the-transgender-community-and-what-we-can-do-to-stop-it-8369021

The majority of the gender critical women and transexuals targeted for Twitter censorship seem to mostly be either current or ex Labour and Green members .

That's an interesting post Rowen. What do you think s going on.