Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi’s Twitter account was on Tuesday, July 31 suspended after he posted nude pictures of a man said to be a media manager.
The clotheless man was in the company of two naked women in a bathroom. The picture, taken in a selfie mode, made the rounds on social media on Monday, with quotas claiming Mr Nyakundi played a key role in their circulation.
Twitter says Cyprian Nyakundi, who has a following of 686, 000 users on the platform, “violated our rules against posting or sharing”.
In an explanation to Mr Nyakundi early Tuesday, Twitter said: “Your [Nyakundi’s] account has been suspended for violating the Twitter rules, specifically for posting or sharing intimate photos or videos of someone that were produced or distributed without their consent.”
Twitter further warns Cyprian Nyakundi that it will “suspend his new accounts should he attempt to evade a permanent suspension by creating new accounts”.
The micro-blogging site, however, notes that the blogger can appeal the suspension by contacting Twitter support team.
Kenyans online have taken to the social media platform to urge Twitter to restore the blogger’s account.
Using the hash tag, “Bring back Nyakundi”, which is trending at Position One, some Kenyans argued that Twitter’s decision is stifling freedom of expression.
According to the social media giant, for action to be taken against any offender, an aggrieved party must report to the firm subject(s) of discontentment. In this case, it could be the media manager who filed a complaint against Cyprian Nyakundi.
“While we accept reports of violations from anyone, sometimes we also need to hear directly from the target to ensure that we have proper context. We enforce policies when someone reports behavior that is abusive and targets an entire protected group and/or individuals who may be members. This targeting can happen in any manner (for example, @mentions, tagging a photo, and more),” says Twitter in its policy statement.
“The consequences for violating our rules vary depending on the severity of the violation and the person’s previous record of violations. For example, we may ask someone to remove the offending Tweet before they can Tweet again. For other cases, we may suspend an account,” adds Twitter in its statement highlighting rules of engagement.
The only way Cyprian Nyakundi can restore his Twitter account is through a successful appeal to Twitter.
“If you think that we made a mistake suspending or locking your account, you can appeal. First, log in to the account that is suspended. Then, open a new browser tab and file an appeal,” Twitter advises.