Projo’s Katherine Gregg Suspended By Twitter for Privacy Abuse
GoLocalProv News Team
Projo’s Katherine Gregg Suspended By Twitter for Privacy Abuse
Gregg had tweeted an email that included an individual’s private information.
In a message from Twitter to the individual whose private information was exposed by Gregg, the company stated, “Thank you for letting us know. Our investigation found this account [Katherine Gregg] @kathyprojo [for] violating our rules against posting private information."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTwitter’s well-known rule states, “You may not publish or post other people's private information without their express authorization and permission. We also prohibit threatening to expose private information or incentivizing others to do so.
Sharing someone’s private information online without their permission, sometimes called doxxing, is a breach of their privacy and of the Twitter Rules. Sharing private information can pose serious safety and security risks for those affected and can lead to physical, emotional, and financial hardship.”
The Tweet involved the personal information of an IGT consultant.
Bill Fischer, spokesperson for IGT said in a statement to GoLocal:
We are aware that consultants to IGT reported a reporter's tweet to Twitter on Friday afternoon.
The motivation to do so was based upon the fact that the reporter posted personal information in violation of the terms and conditions of Twitter. The motivation to report was based on the violation of Twitter's rules, not the leaking of the email. To that point, this same reporter had posted another IGT email on Thursday night that did not contain personal information (see attached screen shot). The reporting of the tweet did not happen at the direction of IGT.
There are much larger issues at play here, as there was an almost obsessive focus to draw a correlation between IGT employees appearing at the State House in exchange for the ability to participate in a dress down day.
IGT employees have had to endure months of misinformation and this was a moment to tell their story of what IGT means to them and their families. Anyone who took the time to watch the testimony would instantly understand how genuine it was. Some employees waited more than 8 hours to testify for two minutes.
Yet here we are looking at a front-page story in The Providence Journal as somehow their passion was manufactured. I would encourage anyone to take 5 minutes and watch the testimony and draw your own conclusions. We appreciate the time Chairman Abney and the other committee members afforded everyone as the hearing went late into the night.
This is just the latest issue relating to the Providence Journal’s coverage of the lottery contract extension.
WPRO talk show host Dan Yorke said on air that the Providence Journal’s coverage of Twin River's effort to secure the state’s lottery contract is biased -- and is being influenced by a former newspaper executive who is now a lobbyist for the casino company.
“The Journal is on the take,” said Yorke.
Yorke said that the newspaper’s journalism and especially their editorials are tainted due to the influence of former Providence Journal Executive Vice President and Legal Counsel Mark Ryan who lobbies at the State House for Twin River. According to Ryan's bio, "he remains a consultant to the publisher of the Providence Journal Company."
Ryan is paid $5,000 a month by casino company Twin River, in its effort to dethrone IGT as the state's exclusive lottery contractor. Ryan also lobbies for the newspaper industry, National Grid, Hasbro and the marijuana industry.
Ryan according to multiple State House sources is a close ally of Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello.
Yorke, during a broadcast on WPRO AM radio on September 24, said that Ryan is influencing what the Journal is writing both as a news organization and editorially.
Citing the relationship between Twin River and Mattiello, Yorke said that the newspaper should investigate the issue -- but won’t -- due to the conflict situation.
“[It] ought to be written by someplace like the Journal. Oh, I'm sorry -- the Journal wouldn’t write that now because the Journal’s former boss is now a lobby guy for Twin River,” said Yorke.
Yorke also discussed the Providence Journal’s editorial criticism of the agreement between IGT, the company that has been providing the lottery services for decades, and Governor Gina Raimondo.
“And, the reason why you see [in the Providence Journal] all the ‘we should do Twin River and the Governor is in bed with IGT’ is because the Journal is on the take,” said Yorke.
“But, I am telling you, editorially it is on the take…[the] Journal is getting marching owners on what it should write,” said Yorke.
READ MORE ABOUT YORKE’S CHARGES HERE