Twitter will not be the precise place to get info throughout a disaster, Dutch politicians and a number one on-line group mentioned Wednesday, following an incident during which residents have been directed to the platform for updates throughout a serious storm.
“We discover it problematic that the federal government relies on Twitter to share vital info,” lawmaker Niko Drost’s workplace mentioned in an emailed remark to Reuters, citing problems with accessibility, accountability and credibility.
Twitter couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.
The storm, which killed a minimum of one particular person and uprooted dozens of timber within the province of North Holland, together with Amsterdam, was probably the most intense on document within the Netherlands in the course of the summer time.
The nationwide emergency warning service despatched a “push” notification to cellphones warning folks in northern Holland to remain indoors amid wind gusts of greater than 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) and to observe the regional fireplace division’s Twitter account for updates.
Some politicians and the digital rights group Bits of Freedom mentioned it was inappropriate, on condition that Twitter is a non-public firm and the federal government has particular web sites arrange for emergency communications.
“Utilizing Twitter is ridiculous,” Bits of Freedom spokesman Bear Engels mentioned, citing issues with disinformation and the problem of fast entry for folks and not using a Twitter account. He additionally famous that the corporate lately imposed a restrict on the variety of tweets that may be seen by anybody who hasn’t paid for a subscription.
“You would possibly see a tweet with nice info from the emergency providers, however there are most likely 10 tweets that Twitter prioritizes which have fully fallacious info,” he mentioned.
The regional fireplace division’s Twitter account has not been verified. His most up-to-date tweet directed customers to a dwell weblog hosted on the Metropolis of Amsterdam’s web site.
Twitter’s communications account didn’t instantly reply to questions. An electronic mail to Twitter’s press electronic mail handle generated an computerized pop Emoji Reply, in step with an announcement made by his boss earlier this 12 months Elon Musk.