When you delete an unsightly tweet from your Twitter feed, it’s gone for good, right?
Wrong.
Several United States politicians learned this the hard way this summer following the launch of a new watchdog website, Politwoops. The project follows the official Twitter accounts of members of Congress, President Barack Obama and numerous presidential candidates to track when they delete tweets and to record the elapsed time before removal.
Politwoops’ archiving system has already accumulated thousands of tweets since its May unveiling by The Sunlight Foundation, an Internet-based nonprofit organization with a goal of holding government officials accountable. Deleted tweets range from those containing minor typos to embarrassingly honest revelations — but unfortunately for the politicians, their attempts to permanently delete their messages are just too little too late.
I read about Politwoops this summer when it attracted the attention of news outlets across the country and the website immediately interested me. It illustrates how, as we’ve discussed in class, nothing “deleted” on the Internet ever disappears permanently.
This topic is revisited often. For example, the Library of Congress announced in April 2010 it acquired the entire Twitter archive, meaning every tweet sent since Twitter’s inception — and every tweet for, presumably, the rest of history — will be digitally archived, regardless if it’s deleted soon after.
The thought makes some people uneasy. Others, especially those who enjoy scrutinizing public officials, are overwhelmingly in favor of websites like Politwoops. As a journalist, I’m in the latter category, and I praise The Sunlight Foundation’s initiative to keep Congress in check.
Anyone utilizing social media, regardless if they’re a politician, should use strict discretion when determining what he or she publicly posts. Information unveiled on the Internet is permanent, despite the availability of the misleading “delete” button. Instead of tweeting carelessly and then deleting offensive tweets as a form of reactive damage control, social media users should be proactive and follow a simple rule: think before you tweet.
And if you’re still not convinced, head over to Politwoops and check out its up-to-the-minute RSS feed. It contains plenty of great examples of what happens when you don’t use discretion before hitting the “tweet” button.