Twitter moves to ban adverts from state-controlled media outlets

Social media giants, Twitter has moved to stop accepting adverts from state-controlled news media entities, it said in a blog post on August 19.

This policy will apply to news media entities that are either financially or editorially controlled by the state, Twitter said.

This new policy came after Twitter released information on a covert social-media campaign that was being run by news outlets controlled by Chinese government to undermine the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.

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Twitter said that it identified a network of 936 accounts that “were deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong, including undermining the legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement on the ground.” All these accounts have been taken down from Twitter.

“Based on our intensive investigations, we have reliable evidence to support that this is a coordinated state-backed operation,” Twitter said.

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