Politiwoops uploads its 1.1 million-tweet collection to the Internet Archive
Twitter may have revoked Politiwoop's API access but that isn't stopping the political watchdog from preserving its already-sizeable collection of online gaffes and retractions from elected officials. Politiwoops, which archived the deleted tweets of politicians in 35 countries worldwide, announced on Wednesday that it will upload its collection of 1.1 million formerly-deleted tweets to the Internet Archive for perpetual preservation.
This move follows the publication earlier this month of an open letter penned by 17 international rights groups -- including the EFF, Sunlight Foundation and Human Rights Watch -- urging Twitter to reverse its decision. That letter has since been endorsed by more than 50 more rights groups from across the globe. "Social networks should take into account international norms about transparency and the right to information," Arjan El Fassed, director of Open State Foundation, said in a statement. "When politicians turn to social networks to amplify their views, they are inviting greater scrutiny of their expression." However, to date, Twitter has refused to review the decision.
[Image Credit: AFP/Getty Images]
