Social Media

Dorsey treats Twitter like 'private fiefdom,' banned user Milo Yiannopoulos says

Milo Yiannopoulos
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Breitbart Technology Editor Milo Yiannopoulos accused Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey of "using the network as his own private fiefdom" to promote his own political agenda.

"This utility, which is how Dorsey has always described it and how he's wanted Twitter to be perceived, has always been run along party lines," Yiannopoulos said Wednesday on CNBC's "Power Lunch."

Yiannopoulos was banned from Twitter on July 19 for allegedly conducting and encouraging online harassment. In particular, people pointed to his actions against actress Leslie Jones, who starred in the recently rebooted "Ghostbusters" film.

The controversial journalist has maintained he did nothing wrong. He believes he simply disliked her movie, and is not responsible for other people's actions on the network.

Yiannopoulos told CNBC that he has filed a request for information from Twitter as to why he was banned through the European Union's laws. He said Twitter has yet to respond.

"I want to Twitter to be honest with its users about the reasons for suspensions, bannings and all the punitive actions they take on their platform," he said.

The polarizing journalist is known for his outspoken conservative views. Other events previously banned him for his opinion that women, ethnic minorities and the LGBT community all have unfair advantages, and he's no stranger to online controversy. He also asserted that Twitter is biased against conservative and libertarian users.

He said if all contrarian views are blocked from the network, it will take away the most interesting voices on the platform.

Yiannopoulos also questioned whether investors should even support Twitter, given that there's no proof the platform can be monetized.

During Twitter's Tuesday conference call after earnings, Dorsey said Twitter is for "news and social commentary" but will never be a platform that only shows a partial view of what is going on. Harassment and abuse, however, will not be allowed.

"Abuse is not part of civil discourse," Dorsey said. "It shuts down conversation and prevents us from understanding each other. Freedom of expression means little if we allow voices to be silenced because of fear of harassment if they speak up."

Twitter reported on Tuesday that it expects third-quarter revenue of $590 million to $610 million, below the Thomson Reuters consensus of $678 million. The social media platform's stock dropped 14 percent on Wednesday; it's down a little over 31 percent year-over-year.