Twitter locked the accounts of both conservative author Michelle Malkin and Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) Tuesday, preventing any tweets from being sent from those accounts for 12 hours leading up to Inauguration Day.
"Twitter doesn't want me expressing my opinions 24 hours before inauguration," Malkin wrote on Telegram, an encrypted, cross-platform messaging app. "No reason given, but of course we know the reason."
When banning an account, the Big Tech company typically cites a specific tweet that infringed its policy, giving the user an opportunity to delete it, but not this time. Furthermore, Malkin, whose Twitter account boasts more than 2 million followers, was not the only conservative influencer to get locked out prior to the inauguration. Twitter also locked the account of RSBN, which has amassed more than a half-million followers.
They suspended @RSBNetwork Twitter account for 12 hours with no explanation.
— Joe Seales (@JoeSeales) January 19, 2021
Malkin "has been temporarily locked for repeated violations of our Civic Integrity Policy," a Twitter spokesman told CNSNews. The spokesman did not respond when asked which specific tweet of hers violated which specific provision of the policy.
"You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes," the policy states.
Rob Shimshock is the commentary editor at CNSNews.com. He has covered education, culture, media, technology, and politics for a variety of national outlets, hosted the Campus Unmasked YouTube show, and was named to The Washington Examiner's "30 Under 30" list. Shimshock graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Media Studies.