Twitter now has the option of selective censorship by country

The social network clarified, according to the BBC, that the cut messages will be available to the rest of the world.

Until now, when a message was deleted from Twitter (for example because it contained a child pornography email address), it disappeared all over the world and no user could see it.

Twitter explained that as the network expands internationally, it penetrates countries that have different ideas about freedom of expression. He even cited the example of France and Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content.

At present, Twitter, which has surpassed the 100 million active users barrier, has not made use of the new selective censorship feature, but clarified that when it does, those users will be notified, while other users will be notified that this content has been "quarantined".

The new possibility of selective censorship has raised some concerns that Twitter's commitment to free expression may be diminished along the way, as it struggles to expand its audience (aiming to compete with Facebook by reaching 1 billion users) while making money.

On the other hand, the network responds that the new flexible censorship tool ensures that as many of its messages as possible are available to as many users as possible.

The new Twitter policy is reminiscent of Google's, which, for years, when - in a country where it operates - a law prohibits access to a particular search, the search result is "filtered".

Twitter is causing panic in various political regimes as, along with other social networks such as Facebook, it has played a role in organizing and spreading the events of the Arab Spring, as well as the serious riots in London in 2011.

Sources: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, news.in.gr