Twitter has restored users’ ability to link to the pro-Phil Robertson site “IStandWithPhil.com” and apologized for what it says was a mistake.
Supporters of the suspended “Duck Dynasty” patriarch had accused Twitter of censoring the site, which hosts a petition that has received 200,000 signatures. Those who tried to link to IStandWithPhil.com on Monday received a message saying, “Oops! A URL in your Tweet appears to link to a page that has spammy or unsafe content.”
Also read: With ‘Duck Dynasty’ Censorship, Twitter Does More Harm Than Phil Robertson (Opinion)
Twitter later lifted the block.
“The URL IStandWithPhil.com was mistakenly flagged as spam tonight, by an outside organization that tracks spam sources. We have restored access and apologize for the error,” Twitter said in a statement to news site Marketing Land.
The site did not respond to requests from comment from TheWrap.
Also read: Twitter Blocks IStandWithPhil.Com, Blocking ‘Duck Dynasty’ Groundswell
Faith Driven Consumer, the group behind the petition, said in a statement Monday that the blocking of the IStandWithPhil.com site appeared to be intentional, noting that Twitter also blocked links in two other pro-Robertson social media campaigns.
Robertson was suspended from his A&E show last week after making anti-gay remarks in an interview with GQ.