Twitter has permanently banned Donald Trump from its platform. The outgoing US President has been shown the door for allegedly undermining the rules of the micro-blogging site.

Critics are of the view that the tyranny of big tech is on full display. As per them, Twitter has always been biased against some leaders while turning a blind eye to the problematic speech of others. They are showing the example of the ex-Malayasia President Mahathir Mohamad, who, last October, said that Muslims have a right to kill millions of French people. If Trump can be permanently banned, so should leaders like Mahathir.

However, as per the anti-Trump section, Trump deserves to be muzzled. Wrote former Indian journalist Nidhi Razdan, "Twitter and Facebook don’t deserve any praise for taking on Trump and his hate speech. They only acted after he lost and after Democrats gained control of the Senate. Let’s see these platforms act decisively against hate speech in the rest of the world, including India." On her part, Erik Voorhees wrote, "Twitter blocking Trump is not a violation of free speech. Trump can say what he wishes, and so can Jack Dorsey, each with their own property. Trump has no right to shout from Dorsey's platform any more than Dorsey has the right to shout from the balcony of Trump tower."

This view is problematic because big tech, if allowed to gag only a few voices and not others, will tend to influence electoral outcomes slowly and surely.