Twitter explains why it locked Rose McGowan's account

Representatives for Twitter have explained why the service temporarily locked actress Rose McGowan’s account.

“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,” read a statement posted to the Twitter Safety account. “The Tweet was removed and her account has been unlocked. We will be clearer about these policies and decisions in the future.”

The company added, “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 voice.”

McGowan caused an online stir Thursday after revealing she had been locked out of her account. “TWITTER HAS SUSPENDED ME. THERE ARE POWERFUL FORCES AT WORK. BE MY VOICE. #ROSEARMY,” McGowan wrote on Instagram. The actress included a screenshot of the suspension notice from Twitter that read in part, “We have determined that this account violated the Twitter Rules, so we’ve temporarily limited some of your account features. While in this state, you can still browse Twitter, but you’re limited to only sending Direct Messages to your followers — no Tweets, Retweets, or likes.”

Twitter’s move to suspend McGowan’s account came after she had used her platform to slam Ben Affleck and Harvey Weinstein in tweets relating to the sexual misconduct allegations that have come out against Weinstein. The suspension was blasted on Twitter, with many users questioning why McGowan’s account was locked in the first place.