#WalmartElves Suspended for 3 Weeks Now.

 The Twitter #WalmartElves on strike are all still suspended.

Keep up with them here: #FreeTheWalmartElves

As of November 27, 2013, there are 8 suspended Twitter accounts for #WalmartElves who supported Walmart Strikers. These Twitter accounts did more than simply annoy Walmart by using the #WalmartElves hashtag. They were used by people attending protests on the ground, they received information from Walmart employees who were afraid of retaliation and they shared this information with the world, and they fought internet censorship. To ignore this censorship imposed upon political speech would be to admit defeat. Twitter has not offered an explanation as to why these accounts were suspended, but we suspect the suspension was requested or demanded by Walmart. It’s very scary to think that a corporation can silence political speech.

#FreeTheWalmartElves is a movement that supports political speech and political speech in the form of parody. If you’d like to help with research and queries to Twitter as to why these accounts were suspended, you will be taking a stand against censorship. The #FreeTheWalmartElves hashtag is also used to draw attention to the struggles of Walmart Associates who fight for a living wage, and the overseas workers in Walmart sweatshops living and dead.

Help stop the war on information. Demand an explanation for the suspended Twitter accounts: 

@WalmartElvesLOL
@walmart_elves
@86WalmartElves
@86WalmartElves_ 

@walmartelves86

@LOLWalmartElves

@WalmartElves_

@NoWalmartElves

Please tell your contacts at the EFF, your contacts on Twitter, bloggers, information activists, and everyone you know.

The WalmartElves Solidarity Network does not forget.

The #Suspended5 - WalmartElves created in 2012 suspended all at once on November 18, 2013.

@walmart_elves - Suspended November 18

@86WalmartElves - Suspended November 18

@WalmartElvesLOL - Suspended November 18

@86WalmartElves_   Moar WalmartElves Suspended November 18

@walmartelves86 - Suspended November 18

The #Suspended3 - elves all suspended November 26, 2013

@NoWalmartElves - Suspended November 26

@WalmartElves_ Suspended November 26

@LOLWalmartElves - Suspended November 18, 2013

Tweets from the suspended elves.

Please help us Free The Info!

Phrase "Killer Cops" Offends Someone

There was a "Justice for Henry Glover" rally in New Orleans today in response to the re-trial of former New Orleans police officer David Warren in the fatal shooting of Henry Glover, an unarmed man, after Hurricane Katrina.  

Apparently one of the organizers attempted to use the CallingPost Messaging Service to send mass invitations. After sending a message, his account was locked because he violated the User Agreement with the phrase "killer cop."

Referring to police officers who kill people as "killer cops" is apparently inappropriate, says Calling Post. 

It's unclear which part of the User Agreement in Section 11 was violated except maybe "You will not use, or attempt to use, the CallingPost Service to convey any information that may be considered unlawful, harassing, libelous, abusive,  threatening, obscene, hateful, offensive, harmful, vulgar, distasteful, defamatory, or invasive of another person's privacy or proprietary rights."

"Killer Cops" could fall under "offensive" depending on the recipient.

This is a pretty vague reason to suspend an account. The first two paragraphs of the User Agreement explain that CallingPost should NOT be used for  "political purposes" and "material deemed to be offensive to the recipients or CallingPost."

So in other words, if CallingPost or the recipients deems the content inappropriate, the account can be locked. One of two things probably happened. Either the sender intentionally included a recipient who would be offended by the message and that recipient filed a complaint, or CallingPost simply found the message offensive. If the latter is the case, this is just another disturbing example of censorship.

NOTE: I do not know if this user of CallingPost has been a habitual offender or what his relationship is with the service, but received the email below.

*     *     *     *    *      *    *     *     *      *

 

Hi Folks

Just wanted to let everyone know about another expression of the  censorship we have in this country. This is the message I received after sending out a ‘calling post”—mass, recorded phone message-- to the C3 phone list to encourage folks to attend today’s rally to demand justice for Henry Glover-- yes, to put ‘killer cops’ behind bars.

Until the victory always,

 

[REDACTED]

From: Customer Care [mailto:info@callingpost.com]
Sent: Monday, December 9, 2013 11:37 AM

Subject: CallingPost Account Hold

 

Mr.[Redacted]

Your account has been placed on "Locked" due to inappropriate usage.  Section 11 of the "User Agreement", which was entered into at the time of registration, states that an account holder cannot use CallingPost Communications for inappropriate reasons.  The term "killer cop" was stated in the outgoing message for December 8th at 8:36pm and CallingPost has the right, as stated in Section 12 of the "User Agreement", to deny you access to the account based on this information.