Author:

Keywords:

ANONYMITY, BLOCKING, CENSORSHIP, COVFEFE, DONALD TRUMP, IDENTITY, PSEUDONYMITY, REGISTRY OF OPINION, SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF DATA, SWEDEN, SWEDISH INSTITUTE, TRUMP, TWITTER

Abstract:

Twitter users generally take for granted that they can block another user that they don’t agree with. Some users even indulge in a little “harmless” online stalking to dig beyond the pseudonyms and may even publicly out perceived trolls. But what happens when public authorities, such as @realDonaldTrump and @Sweden apply such typically private Twitter behaviors? While commentary on these accounts has focused on freedom of speech, we query what data protection law requires when blocking (and exposing) contrarian Twitter accounts.