Twitter admits it banned tweets promoting HBO docuseries Q: Into the Storm

Gizmodo

Director Cullen Hoback learned that Twitter was censoring his 2021 QAnon docuseries when he tried to pay to boost his own tweet publicizing its iTunes debut last month, reports Gizmodo. When Hoback’s production house, Hyrax Films, reached out to members of the Twitter communications team to request help, he learned that the blocking was intentional. “In 2021, Twitter made the decision not to allow promotion of this documentary via advertising on the platform,” Twitter said. “This decision was aligned with the actions we took to suspend accounts dedicated to QAnon and to limit the visibility of QAnon-related content on the platform generally. As a result, the client will not be able to promote this content.” Since Jan. 2021, Twitter accounts sharing QAnon-related content have been excluded from features like “search” and algorithms that offer users personalized “suggestions." Hoback tells Gizmodo: "Perhaps Twitter didn’t appreciate that we shined a light on their censorship practices in the series," adding: “The way to unravel QAnon was to reveal the underlying mechanics and players behind it; not censoring all discussion around the topic."