Twitter is okay with veiled threats of nuclear war.
On Wednesday, the company said President Donald Trump's recent tweet taunting North Korea about nuclear weapons did not violate Twitter's terms of service.
In the controversial tweet, Trump mocked the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, for boasting about having a "nuclear button" on his desk.
"I too have a Nuclear Button," Trump shot back in his tweet, "but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the "Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times." Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
The tweet, posted Tuesday evening, set off renewed worries about a possible nuclear conflict with North Korea. But it also caused many internet users to wonder if the threatening nature of the tweet violated Twitter's policies on abuse.
Recently, Twitter unveiled stricter rules designed to crack down on abuse. For instance, a violent threat made over the platform will instantly get the account banned.
But the rules have a bit nuance. This week, Twitter temporarily suspended Trump supporter and former sheriff David Clarke's account after he made tweets that called for violence against the "lying liberal" media.
Why the company is letting the President's controversial tweet stand isn't clear. But Twitter has a policy of protecting tweets that are found to be "newsworthy and in the legitimate public interest."
Whatever the rationale, the company's decision isn't sitting well with some. On Tuesday, an activist group blasted Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey by projecting the phrase "@jack is #complicit" on the company's headquarters in San Francisco.
"@jack breaks the rules of his own company, Twitter, to amplify a madman and endanger the world," the group Resistance SF wrote on its Facebook page. The group plans to hold a protest outside Twitter's headquarters on Wednesday.