Can't get a woop, woop! Twitter gives politicians nice Gaffe-Delete button

Twitter has decided to suspend API access to Diplotwoops and Politwoops, websites that tracked politicians’ deleted tweets.

Open State Foundation (OSF), which runs the sites, said in a blog post that its sites have been “extensively used and cited by journalists around the world” and that it is committed to democratic transparency and accountability.

But in its communication to OSF, Twitter said that it doesn’t distinguish between users. In a 'won't someone think of the children politicians' moment it said: “Imagine how nerve-racking – terrifying, even – tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable? No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice.”

Started in 2010, Politiwoops automatically monitored elected politicians from 30 countries and made deleted tweets visible.

However, in May this year, Twitter suspended API access for the US version of Politwoops after the deleted tweets of US lawmakers were revealed.

“What elected politicians publicly say is a matter of public record, even when tweets are deleted,” argued Arjan El Fassed, director of Open State Foundation. “What politicians say in public should be available to anyone. This is not about typos but it is a unique insight on how messages from elected politicians can change without notice.”

“Open State Foundation will continue to explore and engage with others to keep public messages by elected politicians visible. The public has rights guaranteed under many constitutions to access information that was made at least temporarily available to the public.” ®