Twitter Admits Mistakes in Handling of The ‘Learn to Code’ Controversy as Suspensions For Using the Phrase Continue
Earlier this year, in response to layoffs at online news outlets such as Buzzfeed and The Huffington Post, Twitter users began to parrot the phrase “learn to code” as a response to the announcements. The phrase was used to mock out-of-work journalists, who had previously offered the same snarky advice to blue collar workers whose work prospects were threatened by automation and the push towards renewable fuel sources. The use of the phrase was soon classified as ‘abusive behavior’ by Twitter, and accounts caught saying the three-word piece of advice found their accounts locked or even outright banned from the platform.
On the recent March 6th episode of the popular podcast Joe Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan and independent journalist Tim Pool sat down with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Twitter Legal, Public Policy & Trust and Safety Lead Vijaya Gadde to discuss various Twitter related subjects and controversies:
Among the various topics discussed over the 3-hour program was the ‘learn to code’ controversy, prompted by Pool asking, “Why are people being kicked off for tweeting hashtag learn to code?” In response, Gadde provided details on the company’s vague policy toward the phrase:
“So there was a situation about a month ago or so where a number of journalists were receiving a variety of tweets, some containing ‘learn to code,’ some containing a bunch of other coded language that was wishes of harm. These were thousands and thousands of tweets being directed at a handful of journalists and we did some research and what we found was a number of the accounts which were engaging in this behavior…were actually ban-evasion accounts. That means accounts that were previously suspended. And we also learned that there was a targeted campaign being organized off our platform to abuse and harass these journalists.”
However, Pool and Rogan pushed back, with Pool stating that this narrative was patently false and Rogan providing the contextual history of the phrases’ origin as a meme. This prompted Gadde to explain that Twitter was making judgement calls based on their perception of the meme, regardless of the actual context:
“A lot of the accounts tweeting ‘learn to code’ were ban evaders, which means they’d previously been suspended. A lot of the accounts or tweets had other language in them like ‘day of the brick,’ ‘day of the rope,’ ‘oven ready’ — these are all coded meanings for violence against people. And so, in that particular case, we made the judgment call, and it is a judgment call, to take down the tweets that were responding directly to these journalists that were saying ‘learn to code’ even if they didn’t have a wish of harm specifically attached to them because of what we viewed as coordinated attempt to harass them … And we were worried that ‘learn to code’ was taking on a different meaning in that particular context.”
Gadde would take responsibility for Twitter’s judgement calls, stating “There were for sure mistakes in there. I don’t think that any of us are claiming we got this 100% right.” Dorsey also admitted that “we probably were way too aggressive when we first saw this and made mistakes.”
Yet, Despite admitting to being over zealous in their policing of the phrase while lacking proper context, Twitter users still found that their accounts had action taken against them for using the phrase:
I have been locked out of my account for the past 12 hours for quote-tweeting an article about Rod Rosenstein and trying to offer him some simple life advice. pic.twitter.com/zm5kmBGkad
— Kate Hyde (@KateHydeNY) March 9, 2019
I’m out of Twitter jail— last night, my account was suspended for simply using the phrase “learn to c***”. I wasn’t even using it in a hostile context. In fact, I was hoping to stir a conversation about universal basic income.
Here are the screenshots— you be the judge: pic.twitter.com/EJde5Yj335
— Tyler Grant (@The_Tyler_Grant) March 9, 2019
My Twitter account was suspended for 12 hours for sending this tweet, which was clearly a joke about the popular meme and John Hickenlooper's comment. I thought @jack acknowledged to @joerogan that Twitter was "too aggressive" in banning ppl over this? pic.twitter.com/3o2cptsAYK
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) March 11, 2019
No @TwitterSupport @jack, I don't want to remove this tweet. It didn't violate the @Twitter Rules! It's a shame that people get banned for advising others to "learn to code". pic.twitter.com/aetRlIaELg
— CandleLover #LearnToCode (@CandleHater) March 11, 2019
Amidst the confusion of Twitter’s policies and actions, some users began to circulate an old Tweet made by Dorsey in 2013, wherein the Twitter CEO himself uses the forbidden phrase:
Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn to code. http://t.co/BhlvOW8Y8i
— jack (@jack) February 26, 2013
Twitter users began to mockingly report Jack’s tweet as hate speech while others pointed out that Dorsey should be held to the same standards as other users on the platform:
did you get suspended for posting that hate speech Jack?
— Tony Bruno (@TonyBrunoShow) March 11, 2019
r e p o r t e d
— Rob (@Robfranklin112) March 11, 2019
Ban yourself bro
— Fresh Brownies (@Fresh_Brownies) March 11, 2019
Learn to code? You use the same phrase that has been leading to suspension of accounts. #Hypocrisy
— Joe Schneider (@revision29) March 11, 2019
But if you tweet “learn to code” to activist journos you’ll be banned by twitter for hate speech. 🤷🏽♀️ https://t.co/OPF8P3TZt5
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) March 12, 2019
What do you make of Twitter continuing to suspend accounts after they admitted they had made mistakes when it comes to “learn to code?”
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