Twitter allows hacked info of Canadian Freedom Convoy donors after suppressing Hunter Biden laptop story
The tech giant has yet to enforce its own policies on those sharing the hacked data
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter appears to no longer be enforcing its "Distribution of hacked materials policy" when it comes to the recent hack of GiveSendGo revealing information of donors who gave money to the Canadian Freedom Convoy.
Members of the media on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border have been sharing names and how much money they contributed to the truckers who've been protesting Canada's vaccine mandate, stemming from the recent data breach of the crowdfunding website.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So, Here's The GiveSendGo Donor List," Canadian radio personality Dean Blundell tweeted with an article that includes a Google spreadsheet of all the names and email addresses swept up in the breach.
Both the CBC and the Ottawa Citizen shared articles including information that stemmed from the breach.
Washington Post investigative reporter Aaron Davis wrote a lengthy thread singling out the biggest donor and a map showing where the donations came from in the U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Protesters dance outside of the Canadian Parliament on the 19th day of the Freedom Convoy (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)
Twitter outlines its policy of hacked material that is shared on its platform.
"We do not condone attempts to compromise or infiltrate computer systems. As such, we don’t permit the use of our services to directly distribute content obtained through hacking by the people or groups associated with a hack," the policy reads on Twitter's website. "In addition, we may label Tweets containing or linking to hacked materials to help people understand the authenticity or source of these materials and provide additional context."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter defines a "hack" as "an intrusion or access of a computer, network, or electronic device that was unauthorized or exceeded authorized access" and "hacked material" as "information obtained through a hack. Information need not be personally-identifiable private information in order to qualify as hacked materials under this policy."
"The distribution of materials includes: posting hacked content on Twitter (e.g., in the text of a Tweet, or in an image); and posting Tweets which include links to hacked content hosted on other websites," Twitter writes.
((AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
However, a section of Twitter's "hacked material" policy also outlines what is "not a violation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We recognize that source materials obtained through leaks can serve as the basis for important reporting by news agencies meant to hold our institutions and leaders to account," Twitter wrote. "As such, we defer to their editorial judgement in publishing these materials, and believe our responsibility is to provide additional context that is useful in providing clarity to the conversation that happens on Twitter."
"In most cases, discussions of or reporting about hacking or hacked materials constitutes indirect distribution… In these cases, a violation of this policy would result in a label or warning message, not removal of the Tweet(s) from Twitter," the policy added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The policy, published in October 2020, came following Twitter's crackdown of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
The New York Post broke the bombshell reports about Hunter Biden's laptop in October 2020. (Randy Holmes via Getty Images/Illustration)
In the closing weeks of the 2020 presidential election, the New York Post published bombshell reports that shed light on Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings that implicated his father, then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
However, while members of the media were pushing a false narrative that content is the result of "Russian disinformation," Twitter went unprecedented lengths to prevent the Post's story from being shared claiming that it stemmed from "hacked material," which was false.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BILL MAHER ON CANADA'S ‘FREEDOM CONVOY’: THEY'RE ‘NOT WRONG’ TO BE ‘P---ED OFF’ AT ELITES
The tech giant barred anyone from tweeting out the articles or sharing it privately through direct message. Twitter even locked the Post's account and told the outlet it can only be unlocked if it deleted its tweets promoting its reporting. The Post refused.
Twitter's then-CEO Jack Dorsey later offered a mea culpa, admitting it was a mistake. But critics say the apology was too little, too late as it aided Joe Biden, who ultimately won the 2020 election days later.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jack Dorsey creator, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Twitter has yet to include any label to tweets reporting on the hacked GiveSendGo information as its policy on the distribution of hacked material says it would.
Fox News reached out to Twitter with inquires regarding its policy. Twitter did not immediately respond.