Initially, Twitter argued with the Dutch-based Open State Foundation, the creators of Politiwoops, that politicians deserve the same privacy as other users, including the right to change their minds and delete tweets.
“On June 3, 2015, the Sunlight Foundation received word from Twitter that it was pulling the plug on Politwoops, reversing an agreement made in 2012 that allowed us to run the project using its API,” a pop-up statement on their website read.
This week however, Twitter announced that they have changed their tune and wish to allow for “holding public officials accountable.”
“Politwoops is an important tool for holding our public officials, including candidates and elected or appointed public officials, accountable for the statements they make, and we’re glad that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with Twitter to bring it back online both in the US and internationally,” Jenn Topper of the Sunlight Foundation told AFP.
“In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be working behind the scenes to get Politwoops up and running. Stay tuned for more.”
The agreement between Twitter and the transparency organization came after several meetings with the Sunlight Foundation and digital rights organization Access Now.
