The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will no longer post content on Twitter, citing concerns about “harmful and hateful content,” D.A. George Gascón announced Tuesday.
“As a prosecutor’s office, we uphold the principles of justice, fairness and equality for all,” Gascón posted – on Twitter. “The rise of unchecked vitriol targeting marginalized communities, false information, lack of community guideline enforcement or mechanisms to otherwise address these issues, has left us with no other choice.”
Last October, Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion with the stated goal of protecting free speech. Since then, the social media platform has lost market value and some high-profile users who expressed concern about a rise in hate speech, including the reinstatement of previously banned white nationalists.
In his statement, Gascón alluded to hateful comments that followed official tweets by his office.
“While we respect the principles of the First Amendment, we also recognize that the comments regularly posted on our Twitter page have violated not only our own standards of conduct, but have had the potential to harm members of our community. As a government agency, we have a duty to promote a safe and inclusive environment, and are unwilling to serve as a space for the dissemination of harmful and hateful content,” Gascón said.
He encouraged people to follow the L.A County District Attorney’s Office on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn.
“We are excited to continue to engage with our diverse and vibrant communities on all other platforms.”
Elon Musk had not replied to Gascón’s tweet as of Tuesday evening.