Ukraine protests against Twitter hook for Crimea-Account News

Twitter has awarded the Account, "Russia's foreign Ministry on Crimea," the coveted blue check mark. For Ukraine this is a political issue. They protested violently against it.

Kai Küstner, NDR

"Good Morning, friends! Have a wonderful week!" With these friendly words by the Russian Ministry of foreign Affairs in the Crimea-operated Twitter Account, welcomed on Monday, his Followers, and garnished with a Heal-the-world-photo: You can look from a hill down into a picturesque Bay on the Crimean Peninsula. Is framed the Scene, with powdery snow-covered branches.

However, are deceiving the postcard Idyll. The thing with this Twitter profile is in fact highly political. "Russia's MFA in Crimea" - translated "the Ministry of Russia on the outside of the Crimea" - is the name of the Account officially.

Ukraine is enough of a complaint to a

"Twitter needs to block this Account!", complained - by the way, via a Tweet a few days ago the Ukrainian government. To be more precise: the Ukrainian Embassy in the United Kingdom. Russia had annexed the Peninsula of Crimea in 2014-just from the point of view of the EU, the USA and NATO in violation of international law. What upset the government in Kiev, in addition, particularly: Twitter, the Account operated by a kind of branch of the foreign Ministry in Moscow on the Crimea - with the coveted "blue hook".

"It is absolutely unacceptable to give the so-called 'Russian foreign Ministry' in the occupied Crimea, a blue hook! Russia has annexed the Crimea illegally, you are militarised and heavy people committing rights violations," said horrified at the Ukrainian Embassy in London and filed a formal complaint with Twitter.

Blue hook may, at the request

will be awarded to The "blue hook" gives the short-message service, at the request of those accounts, which are in the "public interest", as stated in the Twitter rules and therefore, under this profile, not someone adorned with foreign feathers. "That it is not a Satire Account, someone else has the name just nabbed. But it is really the person or the Institution whose Name stands next to it," says Fiete, o:, Social Media expert at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg.

From his point of view, this is not to say, however, that can pull Twitter in this dispute elegantly out of the affair. It's actions were not an entirely apolitical and neutral. "Even if Twitter says that this hook means that you do not approve of the content, it gives the Account but credibility in the eyes of the normal user. Because it is not everyone has," says o:.

effect as a seal of approval

Ukraine goes a step further: in their view, the blue hook is the equivalent of the name of the Russian Twitter-profile quasi-recognition that the Crimea now belonged to Russia. At least, it is feared that the effect in the eyes of the user. Therefore, the official complaint.

another "hook with the hook" provides the media-scientists, o: the fact that ordinary Twitter users can't get this at all - "We are currently taking no new requests," the social network. But that is exactly why the hook is like a seal of quality acting. "In this respect, the decision by Twitter to verify that a particular Account is made very aware of,", o:.

To the dispute, Russia-Ukraine did not want to comment on Twitter itself, by the way. "No comment", it said on NDR request plain from the press.

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