ADVERTISEMENT

Snapchat will stop promoting President Trump's account in Discover: 'We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice' (SNAP)

Snapchat will not promote President Trump's account in the Discover section of its app, the company said on Wednesday.

Snapchat app social media language change
  • "We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover," a company spokesperson said.
  • The decision comes as Facebook has been embroiled in controversy over its handling of President Trump's posts about the George Floyd protests.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. has said that it will no longer promote President Trump's account in the Discover section of its app.

The decision comes after the president tweeted remarks that have been criticized as inciting violence against protesters participating in the demonstrations about George Floyd's death. Publications such as The Verge , Axios , and The New York Times first reported the company's decision.

"We are not currently promoting the President's content on Snapchat's discover platform," a Snap spokesperson told Business Insider. "We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover. Racial violence and injustice have no place in our society and we stand together with all who seek peace, love, equality, and justice in America."

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump's account on Snapchat is still public and visible to those who search for it or subscribe to it. However, it will not be promoted in Discover, the section that houses content from news outlets, production companies, and stories curated by the Snapchat team.

The comment comes after Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel sent a memo to employees condemning racism and inequality and calling for change. Spiegel discussed the company's approach toward curating Discover content in his memo to staff, although he did not call out Trump by name.

Spiegel wrote:

"As for Snapchat, we simply cannot promote accounts in America that are linked to people who incite racial violence, whether they do so on or off our platform. Our Discover content platform is a curated platform, where we decide what we promote. We have spoken time and again about working hard to make a positive impact, and we will walk the talk with the content we promote on Snapchat."

The move comes as Snapchat competitor Facebook, the world's largest social network, is embroiled in controversy over its handling of Trump's recent posts. Facebook has refused to take action against a post from Trump that included the phrase, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." That rhetoric was used by a Florida police chief in the 1960s who was known for his harsh policing of predominantly black neighborhoods. Trump said he was unaware of the phrase's origins.

ADVERTISEMENT

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that while he had a "visceral negative reaction" to Trump's post, it does not violate Facebook's policies. Twitter tagged the same post with a warning label saying it glorifies violence.

Do you work at Facebook? Contact Business Insider reporter Lisa Eadicicco via encrypted email (lisaeadicicco@protonmail.com), standard email (leadicicco@businessinsider.com), or Twitter DM (@lisaeadicicco). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out.

See Also:

ADVERTISEMENT

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh

ADVERTISEMENT