TWITTER, FACEBOOK DISABLE TRUMP’S VIDEO ‘TRIBUTE’ TO GEORGE FLOYD

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram disabled President Donald Trump’s campaign tribute video to George Floyd on their platforms on Friday, citing copyright complaints, Aakriti Bhalla, Rama Venkat and David Shepardson wrote for Reuters on June 5, 2020 (June 6, 2020 in Manila.)

California lawyer Sam Koolaq told Politico his firm submitted copyright complaints to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Koolaq did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Floyd’s death last week after a fatal encounter with a police officer has led to nationwide protests.

Late Friday, Trump criticized the removal by Twitter. “They are fighting hard for the Radical Left Democrats. A one sided battle. Illegal,” he wrote on Twitter. The company's Chief Executive Jack Dorsey responded in a tweet, “Not true and not illegal.” He added: “This was pulled because we got a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaint from copyright holder.” Dorsey said Twitter responds “to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives.” Trump’s campaign had been notorious for using original music without permission.

Facebook, which owns photo and video-sharing network Instagram, said it removed the post after receiving the creator’s copyright complaint under DMCA. ‘Organizations that use original art shared on Instagram are expected to have the right to do so,” Facebook said in a statement.