Twitter has given itself more flexibility to censor information posted in countries around the world tat impose restrictions on self-expression, Bloomberg is reporting. Starting on January 27, 2012, the social networking website will be able to censor tweets on a country-by-country basis, rather than globally.

The social networking website said the changes will allow it to withhold a tweet in a country where a particular kind of content is banned. Such countries include France and Germany, which ban pro-Nazi propaganda. The change in policy will allow Twitter to comply with strictures in one country without having to block offending tweets from its entire audience. The website will attempt to contact users whose tweets are censored.

The decision has drew criticism from some users, as Twitter has been used as a form of social change around the world. Some users are planning on calling for a boycott of the website, in protest of the decision.

Reporters Without Borders, an organization that defends freedom of information, is urging the website to reverse the decision. It sent a letter to Jack Dorsey, the chairman of Twitter, saying the decision “restricts freedom of expression and runs counter to the movements opposed to censorship…Twitter is depriving cyberdissidents in repressive countries of a crucial tool for information and organization.”

Written by: Karen Benardello