The Ethics of Deleting Tweets: Should Public Figures Be Allowed to Erase Their Past?

Should politicians and celebrities be allowed to junket out from the problem, delete their controversial tweets, and rewrite history? Does the public have a right to remember the past statements? Social media has become a part of our public life, and as such, has produced this dilemma that has lit fires of debate.

Politicians, corporate leaders, and celebrities can now turn to Twitter and their tweets are taken seriously, with weight and permanence as part of the public record. But many have been exposed to deleting tweets from years or decades past that contain inflammatory, offensive or politically inconvenient opinions.

To critics, empowering prominent figures to erase their pasts violates transparency and accountability. It raises profound questions about memory and truth in the digital age. But others argue for second chances thanks to delete tweets and the room for personal growth.

High-Profile Tweet Deletion Controversies

Many prominent public figures and organizations have faced backlash after deleting controversial tweets from their pasts. It has been some of the highest-profile examples:

Donald Trump’s Deleted Tweets. Former U.S. President Donald Trump faced scrutiny for deleting supportive tweets about Alabama Senator Luther Strange after Strange’s loss in the 2017 primary election. This raised questions about adherence to the Presidential Records Act, which mandates the preservation of presidential communications.Usher’s Account Deletion Amid Controversy. In September 2024, R&B singer Usher deleted all his tweets following the arrest of his friend Sean “Diddy” Combs on sex trafficking charges. Usher claimed his account was hacked, but the timing led to public speculation.Karla Sofía Gascón’s Account Deactivation. Past controversial posts resurfaced after actress Karla Sofía Gascón deactivated her Twitter account, for which she’s best known for her ‘Emilia Pérez’ role. Among the tweets were pushback from the public and conversations over accountability for remarks regarding Muslim culture and diversity.Kanye West’s Departure from Twitter. In February 2025, Kanye West (Ye) exited Twitter after he posted a series of offensive posts, including an attack on Taylor Swift during the Super Bowl. Debates followed as to how much of a social media’s behavior affects the public that is inspired by his account’s deletion.

These examples demonstrate how public figures and brands have often turned to deleting controversial parts of their online pasts to avoid criticism or embarrassment. But many argue this is ethically questionable.

The Case Against Tweet Deletion

For critics, allowing public figures – especially elected politicians – to erase their controversial online histories violates principles of transparency, accountability, and honesty:

Open Access to the Past Promotes Accountability

Politicians and public leaders have great power and influence. It should be subject to public scrutiny both now and historically, of what they have stated they will do, their views, values, and policy positions. If controversial past statements can be just deleted, it is more difficult to hold them accountable or determine if they have actually changed their views over time.

Public Figures Should Stand By Their Words

Prominent figures often enjoy privileged platforms. With this comes responsibility; they should stand by their words rather than rewrite history for convenience when past tweets become inconvenient. Deleting controversial tweets can suggest a lack of integrity or sincerity in their beliefs.

It Can Constitute Misinformation and Dishonesty

In some cases, public figures have deleted factual tweets related to their work, stances, and controversies – such as the examples from Ireland’s same-sex marriage debate. Erasing factual history borders on misinformation, even dishonesty.

It Damages Public Discourse and Debate

Twitter and social media have democratized public debate; ordinary citizens can now openly challenge leaders and criticize their policies. Allowing public figures to erase inconvenient parts of these conversations damages open discourse.

Social Media Posts Shape Public Memory

Over time, politicians and celebrities’ social media histories become part of the public record shaping collective memory and understanding. Giving prominent people latitude to selectively edit memories threatens to skew public knowledge.

The Case for Limited Tweet Deletion

While transparency and accountability concerns carry weight, some ethicists argue public figures should have limited rights to delete parts of their online pasts:

People’s Views Evolve – Their Tweets Should Too

For ordinary citizens, youthful social media posts often poorly reflect their current values and beliefs. If public discourse allows people room for growth in real life, their online histories should have space to evolve too.

Online Piles-On Can Distort the Past

Public shaming and disproportionate outrage mobs sometimes flare up over old tweets posted long ago. In such cases, deleting controversial tweets may be about self-preservation rather than hiding the past.

Right to Remove Sensitive Personal Information

Though public figures accept reduced privacy, they retain rights around personal data like contact details, family information etc. They should be permitted to delete tweets containing such sensitive content.

Second Chances Matter Too

Cancel culture and rush to judgment online can be excessive. Just as society grants offenders pathways to redemption in real life, public figures should have opportunities to move on from past online transgressions without permanent stigma.

Deletion Guidelines Must Balance Transparency With Practical Needs

Rather than blanket positions for or against tweet deletion, guidelines are needed recognizing transparency concerns while allowing public figures reasonable flexibility to manage their online histories:

Factual, work-related tweets should not be deleted, even if controversial.Public figures should generally not delete tweets related to past policy views and issue stances.Reasonable exceptions for deleting offensive tweets should be permitted, within limits.Politicians should publicly disclose when, why, and which historical tweets they have deleted.Independent oversight committees could help enforce ethical standards around tweet deletion.

These principles could support accountability while acknowledging public figures’ real-world needs to evolve and move forward from past mistakes.

The Future: Emerging Technological Solutions

As social media matures, new technical solutions may emerge to balance public figures’ privacy with the public’s right to remember their online past:

Version Control to Preserve Records

Platforms like Twitter could implement functionality allowing public figures to set their old tweets to private visibility while preserving them in public-facing external databases. This could enable oversight without permanent public visibility.

Blockchain-Based Records

Decentralized blockchain models where tweets are preserved on distributed ledgers in encrypted form could act as external validation of politicians’ histories, maintaining verifiable records if tweets are deleted.

AI To Assess Tweet Importance

Advances in natural language AI may one day allow automated assessments of whether politicians’ deleted tweets bear relevance to their current office and public duties – helping guide oversight of deletions.

These emerging technologies could pave the way for a more nuanced balancing of transparency, ethics, and practical deletion needs even as tweets become formal public records.

Conclusion

Some arguments on both sides are reasonable when it comes to whether public figures should be allowed to delete controversial parts of their online histories. Tweet histories should be left intact for public scrutiny, and principles of transparency and accountability imply so. Yet, there may be some reason for content removal rights to change as online norms change. Technical compromises of oversight with content archives could show the way, toward such technical solutions.

Eliminating the past was not a blanket ban or carte blanche for public figures to erase the past, but instead, tweet deletion guidelines should allow reasonable exceptions to remove offensive old posts, while preserving factual tweets about politicians’ work and stances. Such standards could help be enforced by independent oversight committees.

With the continued social media embrace into history and public memory, the question about deleting tweets will generate even more discussion. New paths to balancing the need to remove practical, content removal and transparency may open with technical innovation. Societies should be able to find a way through a moral path with open discourse and reasonable guidelines.

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