Free State Foundation: Twitter Rejects Ad Campaign for Net Neutrality Tweet

Randolph May said Twitter rejected his effort to promote a tweet (below) associated with his FSF Perspective: “Don’t Regulate the Internet as a Public Utility."

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"In light of all the positive feedback I’ve received regarding my FSF Perspectives and my associated tweet, I decided to spend $50 to promote the tweet further —something I’ve only done 2-3 times in 10 years--he told Multichannel News in an email. "[T]o my surprise, Twitter rejected it as 'political.' This is the same Twitter, I think, which proclaims vociferously it favors 'net neutrality.' I guess the neutrality doesn’t apply to tweets opposing its net neutrality position!"

According to Twitter's ad policy, it "prohibits the promotion of political content,"  which includes ads that contain "advocacy for or against regulation." 

That policy stems from complaints that social media advertising and promotion was being used by outside elements to influence and disrupt U.S. elections.

Free State Foundation is a free market think tank backed by some major media outlets.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.