Twitter Explains Why They Suspended Rose McGowan's Account

Job, Personal computer, Technology, Electronic device, Software engineering, Employment, Laptop, Telephone operator, Call centre, Computer, — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Update 10/12: Twitter has released a statement explaining their decision to suspend Rose McGowan's account, saying a tweet that showed a private phone number violated their terms of service. They also added, "We stand with the brave women and men who use Twitter to share their stories, and will work hard every day to improve our processes to protect those voices."

We have been in touch with Ms. McGowan's team. We want to explain that her account was temporarily locked because one of her Tweets included a private phone number, which violates our Terms of Service. 1/3October 12, 2017

Twitter is proud to empower and support the voices on our platform, especially those that speak truth to power. We stand with the brave women and men who use Twitter to share their stories, and will work hard every day to improve our processes to protect those voices. 3/3October 12, 2017

Original story 10/12: Rose McGowan has been among the most vocal celebrities to speak out in the wake of shocking allegations about studio executive Harvey Weinstein—and now she's being silenced.

The former Charmed actress shared (via Instagram) that Twitter has suspended her account, and claim she violated their rules. Obviously, McGowan is upset, and captioned her post: "TWITTER HAS SUSPENDED ME. THERE ARE POWERFUL FORCES AT WORK. BE MY VOICE."

A post shared by Rose McGowan (@rosemcgowan)
A photo posted by on

It's unclear which of Rose's tweets defending women against sexual harassment upset Twitter, but she was extremely vocal about Ben Affleck—who she claims knew about the allegations against Weinstein, and who also was recently accused of groping a woman (he's apologized via Twitter).

@benaffleck “GODDAMNIT! I TOLD HIM TO STOP DOING THAT” you said that to my face. The press conf I was made to go to after assault. You lie.October 10, 2017

She also called Donna Karan "scum in a fancy dress," which could have ruffled some feathers:

Donna Karan you are a DEPLORABLE Aiding and abetting is a moral crime. You are scum in a fancy dress pic.twitter.com/Vze7lnpdvjOctober 10, 2017

But what's really frustrating here is that in recent days Rose McGowan has inarguably been using her voice for the right reasons: to combat sexism, harassment, and abuse. Twitter's decision to silence her sends a dangerous message to other women who might already be afraid to speak out.

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Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm. She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.

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