Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has defended its decision to ban Donald Trump.
The US President has been permanently suspended from the social networking site, and the app's co-founder insisted it was the right thing to do while acknowledging the issues.
In a lengthy thread, he wrote: "I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here.
"After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter. Was this correct?
"I believe this was the right decision for Twitter. We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety.
"Offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all."
However, he noted the "real and significant ramifications" of such a move.
He continued: "That said, having to ban an account has real and significant ramifications.
"While there are clear and obvious exceptions, I feel a ban is a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation. And a time for us to reflect on our operations and the environment around us.
"Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation. They divide us. They limit the potential for clarification, redemption, and learning.
"And sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation."
Dorsey also dismissed the idea various companies - including Facebook and Snapchat - "coordinated" their decisions to suspend Trump on their platforms.
He argued: "The check and accountability on this power has always been the fact that a service like Twitter is one small part of the larger public conversation happening across the internet.
"If folks do not agree with our rules and enforcement, they can simply go to another internet service.
"This concept was challenged last week when a number of foundational internet tool providers also decided not to host what they found dangerous.
"I do not believe this was coordinated. More likely: companies came to their own conclusions or were emboldened by the actions of others."
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