Twitter did not act after the bomb suspect threatened his platform

"An update We made a mistake when Rochelle Ritchie alerted us for the first time about the threat to her," said the Twitter release. "The Tweet clearly violated our rules and should have been deleted, and we are deeply sorry for this mistake."

Twitter has repeatedly stated that he was working to combat harassment and abuse on his platform. But Twitter users have repeatedly said that he was not doing enough. It is not uncommon for users to report explicit threats of violence, then, to their dismay, to see an automated response stating that there has been no violation of its rules.

In the case of Sayoc, an opportunity to alert the authorities to someone who was openly threatening public figures – someone who allegedly attempted to respond to these threats – might have been missed because that Twitter has not acted.

Twitter's email to Ritchie specifically indicated that the company "will not tolerate abusive behavior, including those who harass, intimidate or use fear to silence another user's voice". But Sayoc's tweet to Ritchie is still online.

"You think for yourself" if you see something, say something, "and then when you say something, it's ignored," Ritchie told CNN Business on Friday. "It's really irritating that these social media sites do not take these things seriously."

On Friday night, after a tweet sent by Ritchie, pointing out what had happened, had become popular on the site and attracted media attention, Twitter sent him a new email.

"Please do not take into account our last answer because it was sent by mistake, we apologize for any inconvenience," he began. "We investigated and suspended the account you reported because it was found that he was abusive."

Ritchie did not buy it.

"They try to cover their buttocks," she told CNN Business.

The tweet intended for Ritchie was only one example among others taken from Sayoc's stories.

On September 20, in response to a tweet from President Trump, Sayoc posted a video of herself at what appears to be a Donald Trump rally.

Trump Trump Trump hey Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. And Eric Himpton Holder Sr. Stick your stupidity of BS as you speak where the sun does not shine.We will soon face your threats.No option, we will see you soon. Hug, close, we are not very close, "reads in the tweet.

On September 18, Sayoc tweeted a photo of Biden's house and wrote, "Kiss your beloved son, Niece, his wife's family every time you leave home."

Both tweets were still live on Twitter when Sayoc was arrested. Twitter suspended Sayoc's accounts late Friday afternoon.

CNN Business asked Twitter several questions about Sayoc and his tweets on Friday: Why is the tweet directed at Ritchie not considered a violation of company rules? Why was the threat against Biden and Holder still present on the platform? Is Twitter monitoring the US president's tweet responses in search of threats? Does it proactively monitor threats to public figures such as Biden and Holder?

The only response from the company was: "This is an ongoing investigation into the enforcement of the law. We have no comment."

A Facebook spokesman told CNN that the company had removed Sayoc's account on Friday. The spokesman said that several of Sayoc's previous publications had violated the Facebook community's standards and had been removed before his arrest, but that none of his Facebook reported or discovered publications contained any violations of his rules. serious enough to allow the complete deletion of the account. .

"There is absolutely no room on our platforms for people who are trying such horrific acts, and we found and immediately removed the suspicious accounts on Facebook and Instagram," Facebook said in a statement.