The person who pulled the plug is a hero.
How about somebody going for 11 days now, or 11 years.
13
The 'social network' should ashamed for their inaction. They have the ability, the same ability The Times has, to edit their content. Some dare call editing censoring. So be it. The Times does edit/censor. It is their newspaper, their brand in today's parlance. They do what they deem proper. The problem with Facebook and Twitter is they just don't care about what incendiary garbage is put on their site. For them, it's not quality of content, it's quantity.
What would the readers of The Times think were it to put every piece of propaganda on its pages? "All The News That's Fit To Print" would resemble Rolling Stone's "All The News That Fits". And we would not be pleased.
The reason The Times and the Washington Post have cred is because they've built a career and a reputation for prizing quality over quantity. Since I was a child and first began reading the Times (my parents always had it lying on the table), my father conveyed to me a similar rule a thumb Virginia's Father told her when she inquired, "Is there a Santa Claus?". Dad said, "If you read it in the Sun, then it is so". And so. I tell my children the same about the Times. When they tell me about some piece of idioticy they read "somewhere" on the internet I reply: baloney, balderdash, horseradish, poppycock.
You want the news? Read the Times, the Post, the first ten minutes of broadcast network news, PBS, and the BBC for International news. You don't need a twitter to know which way the wind blows.
DD
Manhattan
8
So why was Twitter relieved? It’s not as if their contractors are not bound by the same general operating rules and guidelines as their employees.
Blame shift.
1
That man was a hero. The only sad thing here is he couldn't make it permanent. The world as a whole would be benefited significantly by Trump never using twitter again. He's only using it to incite hatred and divide people, because one conquers by dividing. Tune out Trump, it's the only way we can stay together as a nation. I do it by never looking at twitter at all.
9
When the earth stood still, for a 11 whole minutes.
Not knowing which way to turn.
Twitter reveals that the world does revolve around Trump.
3
The main public communication channel for the President of the United States can be disabled, and even deleted by a contractor at a tech firm. This is now empirical fact. Is it any wonder that the Russians chose Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. to spew propaganda to the US public? These internet based public communications firms, using their lame and ambiguous philosophies of 'freedom of expression' have usurped our public discourse for fun and profit, while assiduously avoiding responsibility for spreading destruction. I am on the side of cheering the contractor.
11
Personally, I find Timothy Snyder's Lesson # 9 from "ON Tyranny: 20 Lessons From the 20th Century" to be an appropriate response to the tyranny of technology. It is about language - and ends with something like this: "divorce yourself from the internet." "Read more books." We've made them billionaires, they've invented nothing and they' re laughing all the way to the bank. Shame on us.
18
The people celebrating a contractor for Twitter deleting Trump's account because they detest Trump is short-sided, über-partisan and flat-out stupid.
If a low-level contract employee has the ability to shut down ANY verified account, that's a huge liability and should scare anyone, Trumpster OR Hillarette.
How was this even possible? That indicates major mismanagement at Twitter.
And since when are rogue employees/contractors who cause damage on their way out of a company hailed as heroes?
Imagine the rogue employee had used the account to declare war on N. Korea?
That's what you are applauding when you hold this guy up as a 'hero'.
It’s a worrying enough risk that the Con Don might tweet and cause global conflicts. If a disgruntled employee had the permissions to deactivate his account just imagine if some bad, bad Russian troll had infiltrated Twitter....
Doesn't sound so great then, does it?
3
Very dangerous.
Having never Twitted
I find this Twatter
about a Twotter
to be quite a Twutter.
2
Twitter is for teens and adults who want to behave like teens for fun. It is degrading to our country that this is even a conversation. Our President is a child.
13
These Twitter Pawns tried to make Trump look bad. The economy has not been better in 20 years, wake up.
Reminds me of the help desk contractor at the DNC that got the call from the FBI about email hacking and didn't take it seriously. Love those contractors!
1
That contractor's earned his spot with Manning and fellow contractor Snowden down the Canyon of Heroes.
That account is only covfefe's most visible and hateful soapbox, but any action to even briefly silence the troll's hate incitement, bigotry, and blatant lies is heroic! I hope more leave and delete the troll when they go, until the Twits' C-suite get the point.
7
If Twitter is supposed to be cracking down on and preventing abuse, hate speech, bigotry and racism, bullying and incitement to violence, then it has to shut down Trump's account and report him to the police.
15
I haven't even read the article yet but I applaud that the contractor had enough nerve to disable the account ..maybe we can pay attention to more important issues than POTUS tweets.
10
General Kelly should have pulled this plug weeks ago. Kudos to the person who did this.
10
If a contractor can easily gain access and delete an account, could the Twitter executives please explain why they cannot be more proactive in getting rid of the accounts of ISIS and other extremist and hate groups?
9
We can rest easy knowing that the Twitter employee that deleted the account for the most powerful person in the world did not have tax withholding. Or did they?
2
Making America Great Again!
9
Best thing to happen to the U.S. since your popular minority elected the guy.
13
Hire that contractor full time! Great job!
16
Keep up the good work! Hire this guy to be CEO of Twitter and do the world favor.
16
Twitter, Google, Facebook, Apple, and other tech companies tout their value, but are highly reliant on contractors.
Companies structure their stock so that a handful of people have control of the company.
This in some ways is no different than Trump's treatment of everyday Americans.
I don't trust them.
8
Twitter doesn’t cause nuclear wars, people do.
They should have left it deleted. The nation, indeed, the entire world, would have thanked them. The contractor who deleted the account should be named Person of the Year!
4
Wish that had been permanent. This is historical. US has a “Twittertator”. It’s a bad dream. Make it go away! Let this nightmare be over!
4
I'm wondering why alternate Twitters, addressing alternate universes that we live with now, haven't yet sprung up: a progressive's Twtr, a conservative establishment's Twtr, an alt-White racist-hater's Twtr, LGBTQ Twtr, etc. Everything else in society seems to be fracturing around us, but with Twitter and Facebook we are firmly set back in the 1950's era of broadcast networks. Strange. It almost feels as though FB and Twitter should present their websites in flickering black and white.
But then there's also the exceedingly strange choice of venues that's been adopted by right wing demonstrators for their rallies. They insist on showing up in places where inflamed counter-protesters vastly outnumber the rallying Nazis or alt-White nationalists or whatever they call themselves. You might think that ideologues striving to build a movement would choose venues sympathetic to their cause with the aim of recruitment. But not the alt-White. They seek to go where their very presence spits in the face of communities that have little use for them.
Maybe the right wing doesn't really want an alternate Twitter-verse. They exercise and pump up their rage inside their own closed echo chambers. But their ultimate objective is really the act of discharge, hurling their bile around them like the double lightening bolts they aspire to... or more like, infantile projectile vomiting. Perhaps the right, at least, wants a general broadcast medium through which to shout out their inner demons.
2
The independent contractor who shutdown Trump's account should be awarded the Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. Eleven whole minutes without a Trump tweet was sheer bliss.
2
I'm not sure why they're conducting any kind of investigation: legally speaking, it doesn't matter if any employee or contractor could shut down an account because the accounts don't belong to the users. It's not your right to be on Facebook or Twitter or the rest, nor does any of the content you post belong to you once you've posted it. It's already been sold, by you, from the moment you signed up for the platform.
6
I expect most Times readers are cheering the person who closed down Trump's Twitter account for eleven minutes, glad to see Trump largely neutered for awhile. However, to me the real take-away from this is that it again demonstrates the internet is not nor ever will be secure, transparent, and private. Sooner or later someone may well hack into Trump's Twitter account and say things as if Trump were actually tweeting them. More chortling from those of us who are not Trump fans. But, will all those digging such an action follow it to its obvious conclusion, namely that their own presence on the web is even more vulnerable and fragile? Will they back off their web interactions?
Those who use Google, Facebook, Twitter, and others like them should keep in mind that these corporations are no different from Wells Fargo, Experian, ExxonMobil and their ilk? They are about profit, pure and simple. Publicly held (and most privately held) corporations have no allegiance to America, its people, or its values, despite many millions spent hiring ad companies and lobbyists to convince us otherwise. If we use their products, we are enablers. It becomes an "us", not merely "them" that is the problem, no different from a bartender who knowingly serves drinks to a drunk person about to drive off.
Trump is primarily an entertainer (with an unfortunate surplus of power.) Sure, let's enjoy the Twitter shut-down as more entertainment. However, let's not forget the bigger internet picture.
6
Great! I'm only sorry it was for 11 minutes and not 11 years! Thank you 'rogue contractor'--you were very brave and courageous...may you inspire others to sabotage this indecent president the whole world is suffering under...
7
Shouldn't the name of the individual and the company responsible be made public so that others looking to hire them know what could happen?
2
Just a few minutes more and the VP would invoke the 25th.
2
Whoever pulled the plug on Trumps’ account ought to get a good-citizenship award.
10
You want to stop the Madmen in WA DC & N.Korea ? You want to stop the Chinese ? The Russians ? You don't like them stomping on your rights & intruding in your lives ? STOP whining. DO something about it.
You have a powerful weapon at your fingertips. One that the so-called "leaders" of the world would tremble and cower before should you all exercise a tiny tiny bit of will power. What is it you say ?
Put down that Stupid device you are clutching round the clock. Log OFF those sites that are now running your life. In one day - you would defeat them all.
Exercise your right to turn them off and YOU will be in control once again. They are relying on YOU to do what they want. Those entities running your life expect you to continue to belong, to deny yourself nothing. They expect you to be sheep. Prove them wrong. Defeat them easily in 1 day. You all know what to do. Do it
14
Tell me again what purpose does Twitter provide in our society?
6
These companies are worth billions, and yet they refuse to hire more full-time, full-benefits employees??
16
ahhh, but it's so EXPENSIVE to get cheap help nowadays!
2
Apart from the noteworthy particulars in this instance, here's how it looks: We have to accede to gargantuan legal agreements that have been carefully crafted by corporate lawyers, without being able to negotiate a single punctuation mark, before we can set up accounts with online companies and use their services. They, on the other hand, can do whatever they want, such as outsourcing the handling of our data. Do we have a say in their compliance protocols for contractors? Yes, Twitter will move to further protect its celebrity users but what about the rest?
I wonder if it would be feasible to have an agency comparable to the CFPB to advocate for and protect consumers of Internet services.
5
If only it stayed that way!
I mean even after watching the social media hearing before one of the committees, it's clear Twitter might need new attorneys as well.
So Roger Stone goes on a rant 3 days in a row, Twitter suspends his account. Trump threatens the safety of American at home and overseas,makes derogatory statements and comments,that's quite okay for Twitter. Even better, his account gets deleted then restored without hesitation.
...And we wonder why we are where we are.
16
Well, well at least one person at Twitter was adhering to its policy of deleting Twitter profiles that consistently promote hate and glorify violence.
107
My hero! Too bad the account was reinstated. Twitter has no guts.
3
CTRL + ALT + DEL and reboot the system.
That what Washington needs, a reboot.
2
Whoever it is is doing a great service in pointing out the absurdity of Trump's addiction to twitter.
Donald's a buffoon wrapped up in ignorance and seasoned with hate.
5
Most spectacular way to quit a job ever.
13
This is hilarious! Finally, someone who actually did something good in the world. The President of the United States of America shouldn't have time to "Tweet". I would think the affairs of our country and aboard would keep him too busy to tweet, bleep, but then again... This is Trump we're talking about. I applaud the "contractor".
4
Adding my incredulity to others' about a contractor having access to the Twitter account of any president. Probably Putin's son-in-law.
What a joke.
4
John Kelly has demonstrated that he holds racist sentiments. I don’t know why the media continues to portray him in a positive light and a moderating influence in the White House.
9
11 minutes of solitude, thank you rogue employee.
8
If my twitter account was put out of its misery, it would take days (weeks?) more than the 11 minutes it took to resuscitate DT's account. That's sort of normal. But what if this contractor was a Russian agent, and Russia used this to confuse the world while launching an attack on the Baltic countries, or worse?
It's no solace that we heard "it's different privileges" to send tweets from a user's account. It doesn't take any US security clearance checks to work for Twitter, nor is the company interested in spending a lot of money or any for that matter for the security of US government communications. It's not a priority for its shareholders.
Silicon Valley is brimming with Russian nationals and sympathizers and any one of them can quite plausibly be a Russian government agent.
It's not that the Russians worked hard to hold the US government hostage; it's that the US government put itself up for grabs by allowing DT to decide Twitter will be the White House's primary medium of communication.
For years in the seventies and eighties the world communications community, primarily governments, academics and the UN, tried to rein in US corporate efforts to forge quickly with a disorganized and vulnerable Internet (TCP/IP) in favor of a slower and more careful development of an architecture incorporating security from the ground up (OSI). US corporations had the upper hand and we got the first Internet boom 1995-2000.
A lot of people made money, but the world now is at risk.
8
Nice try blaming a contractor / temp employee. Doubtful
5
A NATIONAL HERO
6
Maybe we should all boycott Twitter.
7
Deleting Trump's ability to use and abuse Tweets is a brilliant idea. Let his awful, sick, malicious impulsiveness be drowned vs executed by hanging, as the just response to an addiction to spew hate and division, and fake news. Fox Noise does not need competition in that regard, not as long as the big mouth Sean Hannity's are in control (to dispense alternative facts to Trump, fiction to the rest).
6
I used to be disgusted with Trump's use of Twitter as President. Now I'm relieved that we have at least some insight into his small, bigoted, wildly impulsive mind.
9
And this is why leaders of nations do NOT use a free, unprotected social media account as their main means of releasing official news. I'm not shocked nor disgusted this happened, rather, I'm surprised it hasn't happened numerous times. Even more laughable is Twitter's insistence Trump is above their rules of conduct.
If the President or White House wants to post endless rants, let them do it on their own website and their own Twitter-esque style blog, hosted and maintained by government IT officials on secure servers.
13
any POTUS, including Trump, should not be on Twitter as a primary communication means at all, and all communications should be through vetted and secure white house or federal government sites. Really, I don't want the slap happy social media world to be managed in order to protect POTUS from his own random, uncontrolled messages, or ones that others post in his name.
10
If I ran the NYTimes, a "tweet" would be considered a disposable/worthless minor utterance unqualified for being published. This would apply in direct proportion to the prestigious of position of the author, in a nod to intelligence and forethought in communications. The purpose would be to take seriously serious ideas and dismiss the frivolous.
I can count the times I have paid attention to any tweet from any person on Earth, on one hand. And, I am perfectly confident I am fully and more precisely informed on important issues and related events than most. I find it disturbing that such a major player as the Times has so little interest in bucking fads and showing leadership in the dissemination of information, instead of being led by the nose by "junk" technologies that do not merit the attention they are gifted. My best guess is that it's all about the money.
5
Sad to say, but Twitter is hardly a "fad". Like Facebook it has become embedded in our society, especially for generations younger than mine (and yours I presume). That the man child in the White House uses Twitter like a recalcitrant teenager is indeed an issue and the Times, while still a leader in reporting essential and detailed news, recognizes that. Harrumping won't make it go away.
2
With apologies to people who thrive on or can't live without social media, any moderately-intelligent third grader would realize that the man with the nuclear buttons in his hand shouldn't be imparting matters of world policy concerns on something like Twitter, and that you can't cogently reduce the arguments about, say, what to do about North Korea, to 22 words, or whatever the number is. Maybe that just makes me old, but age produces some degree of wisdom. If there really is a need for that kind of short, impulsive message from the Great Leader, then the government should build a ultrahigh security system for him to post things on, with as limited as possible interaction between readers and him. If such a thing can't be built, well, there's your answer. Why is it worse for Clinton to have assertedly put information with national security information on a personal server than for him to burst out with positions on possibly cataclysmic issues on an Internet medium over which he clearly has no control? This isn't a game we're playing. Grow up.
22
The guy should be given a medal.
17
Finally, someone has done what I have been dreaming Albeit for only 11 minutes, some dreams come true!
2
John Kelly should be deleting Trump's Twitter account by keeping Trump's little fingers away from it. Trump is going to Tweet himself right into obstruction of justice. on the other hand, that might be a good thing.
3
In an off moment, you daydream that Melania has been keeping tapes without an 18minute gap.
You daydream that John Kelly is wearing a wire.
You daydream that Putin releases the phone taps he has on Donald, Jr.
You daydream that Jared, who saw his father go to jail, will not take the rap for his father-in-law.
You daydream that God actually exists and that he's tuned in to how many times The Donald has taken His Name in Vain.
Barring that, you daydream you are a Twitter employee on your last day and you have the means and wherewithal to take out Trump's Twitter account for even a nano-second.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
8
Too long in the making. Can he do it again and this time permanently, or some one else at Twitter? The Twitting Toad's verbal excrement should be contained and Twitter is an enabler of this vermin.
3
Unfortunately this person cannot go public, as no doubt they will receive all manner of threats and vitriol. But at least one person at Twitter showed up to work with a spine and did the right thing. They should be given the medal of freedom!
5
If they prosecute her, she should start a go fund me account. I wile definitely send her a few bucks!
5
Thank you, Rogue! 11 minutes of peace in the world. 11 minutes free from the insults and lies and rants of Trump. 11 minutes when we could finally breathe without the corruption of Trump.
Thank you for the few minutes of rest and relaxation, like cool clean water trickling down an unpolluted hillside with fresh air and sunshine. Ahhh.
4
More Power to the Rogue!
3
A true Patriot, but also a security risk. Good news, he/she does not work at a nuclear installation. Bad news, it should have been Twitter closing down the Pretend King Trump's account because of bullying and endangering the lives of others through his blatant disregard in understanding that as President of the United States many of his base follow every word. Twitter and other corporation's legal teams have taken out the moral or ethical devices to assess shaky communications. So we are left with the Pretend King Trump's twitter communications plowing us over each day. Or we can simple bow out and not look anywhere since his messages and the messages of his minions are everywhere.
3
Good news, he/she does not work at a nuclear installation. Bad news,....
Bad news is, TRUMP does work at the biggest nuclear installation out of the WH, he's the Liar-in-Chief of America. He has his twitchy, teeny tiny, stubby vulgarian, vindictive fingers minutes from that red button. And he has expressed his immature willingness to destroy everything he does agree with.
That keeps me up at night, for many nights, soon to be a year.
I amazed at the comments I've seen praising the unnamed contractor who, for 11 minutes, deleted Trump's Twitter account. Really? Trump's Twitter feeds announce to one and all what a shallow and narcissistic ignorant individual that is Trump the person and what a dumb incompetent president he is. A continuing day by day record of his ignorance and incompetence. A record for voters to note come 2020. To be honest, when I first heard of Trump's Twitter feed outage, I thought it was done by a Trump supporter.
11
Too bad the account wasn't deleted forever and ever. Eleven minutes of peace in this country. Silence was golden. Sigh......
2
This one employee has done more for world peace, civility, the rule of law, and the level of discourse in America than anyone else over the last 2 years. He or she should be give the Medal of Freedom.
1
Bravo to the Twitter employee who made a difference with his or her last day at work. Take this president and shove it!
2
Best 11 minutes of the Trump administration.
2
A crime to cut off millions of people's most trusted news source.
2
I believe the "rogue" contractor has been short changed. He only got 11 minutes of fame. He is entitled to 4 minutes more. While we are at it, he can have my 15 minutes, as well. If everyone did the same, we could shut down the insanity until Trump gets impeached or removed through the 25th Amendment.
2
Trump has often stiffed the contractors who worked for him. I love knowing that a contractor did this to him.
2
Everyone wants their 11 minutes of fame...
I find it amazing - truly beyond astonishing - that so many commenters to this story both here and on other websites are celebrating, and do not perceive the frightening danger of this move that is reflected in Name Unknown's comment.
How is it not immediately obvious that, whatever you think of President Trump, the fact that a single, lower-level person can compromise his Twitter account is exceptionally frightening?
What if the compromiser had been foolish, or hostile, or evil - could s/he have launched a nuclear war?
2
Give that man a medal. It's heartening to know that there's at least a few guys out there who still have a pair.
1
Let me add this to my earlier comment: If it is illegal to falsely shout "fire" in a crowded theater, why does the ability to hijack the social media account of the President of the United States not present a problem 10,000 times more serious?
We have to take a serious look at the powers and capabilities of social media to cause massive harm and disruption - whether by accident, design or malicious intent - and the seeming inability at present of those who created these vehicles to control that.
2
When this happens to Bernie Sanders' account, or Elizabeth Warren's account, the glee of the commenters here will vanish.
1
Twitter is the modern aged bathroom wall where the unintelligent scrawl their hate and misinformation.
Bravo to this employee and shame on the C-suite executives who fail to enforce their own terms of use.
3
I think you mean, "Person Who Deleted Trump's Twitter Account Was An American Hero".
2
Except for that one “Ha-ha” from The Simpsons’ Nelson Muntz, a grateful nation appreciated the short hiatus from the sound and fury.
1
Finally, someone with a brain and a heart acts. Bravo! Shut the fool up :)
2
From a private citizen point of view, this issue is hardly something to be congratulated nor is it ticker-tape worthy. The fact that the individual who did this wasn't a Twitter employee, but rather a consultant, tells me that the security measures at Twitter are less than stellar. If this individual was able to delete the POTUS account without encountering a few layers of approvals from higher level supervisors before the pushing the final delete button, then who among us are safe at all when it comes to other social media accounts, checking accounts or other confidential reports? This is not something to be celebrated, but rather, a scenario that is deeply troubling and alarming. I'm not a Trump fan by any means, but there is a much larger picture/situation going on here.
2
The man or woman who shut down Trump’s account should be given a hero’s Medal of Honor.
But that just confirms that Trump’s tweets are a national security risk, so easy it is to spoof and hack. I have (not very high) hopes that someone in Trump’s National Security team would take away Trump’s phone and close the account.
2
Clearly, twitter's public face must respond to this errant action by taking some form of public action against the employee/contractor. At least publically, twitter cannot permit employees/contractors to 'mess' with private accounts. And with that out of the way, I have on reliable authority that in private, Twitter's management is congratulating the 'offending' contract staffer for taking genius-level creative action and providing a valuable public service of benefit to millions of Twitter's customers. Also on excellent authority: the contractor was beached for 30 days and asked to return to assume a higher level position.
Still not a recommended practice, but we must recognize the creative genius in play here. I wish that the CSR was available to assist in my business!
1
An American hero and patriot. We need many more who can take more effective and long acting actions.
6
By sabotaging a customer? (Yes I know he doesn't pay, but neither does any other user). So if I work for any company, and I don't like one of their customers, I'm justified in disrupting their services, hero-like? Spoken like a true anarchist.
1
So the deleter was a contractor rather than a Twitter employee. And that makes this scenario better . . . how? That independent contract just poisoned the well for so many other independent contractors in this field and other fields that deal with sensitive material. Eleven minutes of glory for some, potentially devastating consequences for so many others.
12
Silly. Companies are not going to treating people with respect, and employ them as employees, instead of contractors, because of this.
Sensitive????? Give me a break.
Most likely in this world of 'Right to Work States' that give far more rights to the employer and none to the employee, that the "contractor" was an almost full time employee without any of the benefits.
1
NYT, please be certain to add the name of this "customer support employee", when available, to the list of people that were nominated by the public following your solicitation in an attempt to revive those ticker-tape parades honoring unsung heroes, down Broadway. She, or he, would probably be acknowledged by one of the largest crowds ever in the august history of this great American tradition! To rightfully add insult to injury, "you know who" should be invited to serve as the ceremonial Grand Marshal of the celebration.
37
"The person who shut down Mr. Trump’s account was a contractor, the people said."
Oh boy, I feel so much safer after reading that - an outside contractor having access to the President of the United States Tweeter account. Great.
11
That's a Trump problem, not a Twitter problem.
Good God, just imagine what could have happened during those 11 minutes.
What, exactly?
You clearly don't realize that your health care records - name, address, family members, ages, genders, SSNs, medical diagnoses, and care - are most likely accessed in India and bills paid by contractors.
1
Wonderful. At least a brief reprieve!
Would that we could stop paying ANY attention to him—
We could, but that would require a concerted and organized effort by the media. To begin with, stop re-tweeting. And just let Fox (and Breitbart) cover the briefings.
He does still have the “signing pen” at his desk. But that's really all. [The generals have essentially taken control in the White House.]
Depriving him of attention is the key. Let the bouts of campaigning to his base be all that he gets.
16
Someone seems eager, to give the extra nudge, for the South Park "Put It Down" pledge:
http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s21e02-put-it-down
2
The best 11 minutes of the year!
46
and what would happen if a rogue Twitter employee declared war on North Korea?
22
I expect most Times readers are cheering the person who closed down Trump's Twitter account for eleven minutes, glad to see Trump largely neutered for awhile. However, to me the real take-away from this is that it again demonstrates the internet is not nor ever will be secure, transparent, and private. Sooner or later someone may well hack into Trump's Twitter account and say things as if Trump were actually tweeting them. More chortling from those of us who are not Trump fans. But, will all those digging such an action follow it to its obvious conclusion, namely that their own presence on the web is even more vulnerable and fragile? Will they back off their web interactions?
Those who use Google, Facebook, Twitter, and others like them should keep in mind that these corporations are no different from Wells Fargo, Experian, ExxonMobil and their ilk? They are about profit, pure and simple. Publicly held (and most privately held) corporations have no allegiance to America, its people, or its values, despite many millions spent hiring ad companies and lobbyists to convince us otherwise. If we use their products, we are enablers. It becomes an "us", not merely "them" that is the problem, no different from a bartender who knowingly serves drinks to a drunk person about to drive off.
Trump is primarily an entertainer (with an unfortunate surplus of power.) Sure, let's enjoy the Twitter shut-down as more entertainment. However, let's not forget the bigger internet picture.
75
Hey Rip, how long you been sleeping! The water, aka the internet has been rising for quite a few years.
Twitter has always been known as particularly insecure, as the numerous "hacked" accounts that simply had their passwords guessed or accounts outright taken attest. You can be sure not all of those accounts had crummy passwords—there's a hole there and it's dying to be leaked to the press, perhaps via a prank tweet from @Twitter itself.
Friends Don't Let Friends establish a Twitter account as their official "voice" or press-release outlet. It's begging for a troll hijack.
The evidence strongly suggests that Trump’s account *already* has been compromised — by 13 year old kids who got bored of making crank phone calls.
1
Computers in the wrong hands endanger us all. Anyone can tweet fake identities and talk about an impending or happening nuclear strike.
The British Health Service was hacked, creating chaos. Hospitals in the US have been hacked and had to pay ransom.
We see repeated election hacking attempts in various countries.
Govts around the world have to control this threat. We love what computers have brought us, but is it a deal with the devil? Yes, if unregulated by democratically elected govts. What a tool for evil.
9
I'd hope they require two-factor authentication for VIT accounts.
It would be lovely if every departing Twitter employee or contractor who has the necessary level of access would shut down Trump’s account on their last day. Just to see how upset it will make him.
8
Bwahahahahahahaha...aa! Couldn't happen to a better account. Almost called DT a person. Keep thinking how he stated he would be at work all the time if he became, I can't say it. That we would not find him on the golf course. He wouldn't have time for golf. Just one of his lies. SAT!
9
Hero for 11 Minutes. Who would've thought that was all it took? Pull the Plug!
9
This person is an American Hero.
9
Having worked in Silicon Valley as a contractor for several years now, it wouldn't surprise me if we learn that this individual was not so much disgruntled with our president but the arrangement surrounding his employment. My first hand experience has been that contractors are really just employees with zero rights, no benefits, and mediocre wages. Tech companies dangle the carrot of full-time employment but have no real interest in hiring you. Invariably, contractors get frustrated and develop
a bad attitude at which point tech companies shrug their shoulders and promptly dispose of you.
21
What a shame that he or she did not manage to ban him for life from Twitter.
13
Twitter used a contractor, not a high-level employee, to review the content of the most powerful (and controversial) user they have? Fortunately S-T-U-P-I-D is less than 140 characters.
13
WANTED: "Rogue customer support employee". Good pay and ACA Healthcare, including birth control.
9
Make the person who deleted the account the CEO. They obviously a doing a better job than Biz and Jack.
18
Thank you for the brief respite. NOT sad.
19
Who ever this person is, they should be given a medal of honor for their service!
15
And Commander-in-Chief, you're a rogue president. The rogue employee was not a full time employee and neither are you as an impostor president, just a part timer in the Oval Office and a full time businessman. Hopefully that will be confirmed very soon by Robert Mueller.
20
The republicans and the administration other than fm trump should only be upset it wasn't unavailable for a longer time.
6
Maybe we could start a competition or reward for those who dis-enable Mr. T's twitter account.
14
Well, take a look at the job numbers and tell me again if there really were jobs added. A lot of them are contracts.
Regarding the issue of shutting down his account, what it really means is that Twitter is largely out of control locally and has little oversight over how it's platform behaves in the wild.
Government regulation please. FCC where are you?
10
Not an FCC issue.
Well then hire enough full time employees with benefits instead of pushing more and more folks into the gig economy if you don't like having so many contractors. And stop demonizing contractors. One bad apple could well have been a full time employee too.
17
American Hero.
17
The problem with this kind work arrangement is that contracted employees and individual consultants, especially the tech savvy variety, tend to morph from initially working on a project basis and eventually become embedded in day-to-day company operations. They sit across from regular company employees often doing the same kind of work. Some are granted universal system access. Eventually, lines of accountability, access protocols and work rules for two disparate sets of employees blur. This sets the table for potential problems, which might have been the case here.
5
Whoever he or she is, they should never have to buy another drink for the rest of their life.
29
Give that contractor a raise, AND the Nobel Peace Prize!
8
Where's that "rogue" IRS employee when you need one? "Rogue" accountant?
Xmas is coming!
65
The resistance of the progressives is all about free speech. Unless of course the speech doesn't conform to their leanings in which case, shut up.
8
Twitter isn't the government.
4
Yes, the speech on this Twitter account does not conform to standards of decency, encourages violence, is antagonistic to the rule of law, spreads falsehoods etc. Usually an account with this content would be quickly deactivated by twitter. Feel proud for supporting this type of content?
2
I guess you're right. We progressives do tend to lean towards facts rather than lies.
1
Best 11 minutes of my year so far.
Promote whoever deleted/disabled the account to the head of account sanity and anti-bullying.
105
BREAKING NEWS: 11 minutes of (relative) sanity strikes America.
95
You made me laugh! Thanks! I needed it today.
1
How can we contribute to this hero's defense fund?
113
He's either a Communist Chinese hacker, or a Russian Communist hacker. Call the Communist parties in those countries -- they've visited the "Clinton Foundation," the Clintons probably know.
So far, these 11 minutes were the most successful of trump's Presidency!
169
Amazing -- a single employee can delete the Twitter account (or any account) of the President of the United States. Whether you support or loathe Donald Trump, this is an example of the dangerous power of technology.
What if this rogue employee had instead tweeted, on the President's account, "Missiles have been sent. The United States is now officially at war with North Korea"?
Amazing that these social media giants and the "geniuses" who created them don't have greater checks and balances.
114
How do you know they don't? It was resolved within 11 minutes.
2
Yes, this is why presidents should not be using Twitter to regularly communicate policy as it is a less secure medium. I doubt he'll ever understand that.
3
All the more reason to suspend Trump's Twitter account. Either that, or have a 24 hour watch that corrects anything false.
1
Not all heroes wear capes.
The only mistake I see here was the decision to reinstate it.
131
Pig, thanks for proving that Democrats hate free speech. That's why Democrats have lost 900+ elective offices nationwide since 2010 -- pure hypocrisy and cannot be trusted. Just ask Bernie Sanders, viz. HRC.
Word is getting out for sure.
Word is that Trump's twitter account looks like that of a 7th grader. Just have a look at his tweets today, juvenile name-calling, lots of whining, incoherency.
Just another day of the President of the United States making a fool of himself. Again.
71
Trump's obsession with the election, with Hillary Clinton, and with the Democratic party is pathetic and sick. Doesn't Trump have a country to be president of?
3
How many of us would have loved to pull the Trump twitter plug?
Hail as a moment's hero.
51
I wish I could shake their hand and buy them a drink.
53
Give that man or woman a raise.
66
Will Trump blame Hillary for the outage? :-)
46
Undoubtedly.
1
I wish an 11 minute mute button was available when this awful man told a crowd of young children on Halloween what terrible parents they had because they were members of the fourth estate. This man is a Ewell trying to persuade the Cunninghams that he's a Finch.
34
Employee of the Year award.
100
Not enough...give him or her a Nobel Peace Prize
3
Who ever he is he deserves a Nobel Peace prize.
68
Could be female....
4
Absolutely. My apologies.
2
Truly an American hero for our age!
40
This independent contractor has shown more social responsibility than the CEOs of Twitter in my opinion. I fully believe the country would be better off and less divided if the President left Twitter. He has violated their Terms of Service regarding abuse, and should be banned outright for that. Of course, he is our POTUS so they won't do what they'll do to an ordinary person - but at minimum the President's tweets should be supervised and censored very selectively when he crosses the line into abusive behavior. His tweets to North Korea are my prime example. There is no need for a private company that provides him a free platform to aid and abet global nuclear war. The Pope is praying desperately for the safety of the world. Meanwhile Twitter, while claiming to be tech champions of social good, is helping 45 begin catastrophe. Friendly reminder: The Chinese do have a treaty with North Korea that compels them to protect them in case of attack. Things sound a little different when we're thinking about facing off with President Xi and a true global power versus one rogue young looney tune, don't they?
57
Yes, but they have shareholders.
Why doesn't Twitter delete his account for violating their terms of service? Inciting violence, for example? He has made them over 2 billion dollars according to one estimate. Maybe if Twitter wasn't so greedy, they would have enforced their own terms of service long ago and spared the world this hateful con of a presidency.
142
Well, why doesn't Twitter delete HRC's account? For taking billions from foreigners for an alleged "foundation?"
Oh. Democrats think they own the "truth?"
No. Never. Ever.
Even if only for 11 minutes, the contractor is a hero to those of us tired of the lies, inanities, and insanities of the leader of the Idiocracy.
59
Someone give that contractor a medal! I think he/she did something many (including people in the White House) wishes to do! Trump's twitter account endangers our security as a nation (goad N. Korea to a nuclear war, demoralize our judicial system, aid the legal defense team of the terrorist attacker, etc) since the author has no control over his impulses. The White House is doing a lousy job at their adult daycare job keeping this child in control, so someone had to do something ...
23
Just as the IRS tightly restricts access to the tax returns of VIPs, Twitter, et al need to do the same with the accounts of VITs. Management should have been smarter than to let a $25K/year contractor embarrass them.
7
But what if Twitter did decide to delete Trump's account? This is a private company with no regulation by the government that Trump uses daily to rant and make foreign & domestic policy statements. This is very dangerous indeed.
15
If they did decide to delete his account, we would all breathe a sign of relief, finally!
3
Why is that dangerous, what I think is more dangerous is your insinuation that Twitter MUST provide him a platform. Oh how fascism creeps in America.
3
Absolutely beautiful. God bless this ex Twitter employee. Unfortunately he's back. Will someone please do it again?
19
not a rogue: intelligent and acting in best interests of the country.
55
Correction: person who deleted trumps Twitter account said to be true patriot.
43