A veteran badly burned in an Afghanistan IED blast has slammed Twitter claiming it flagged his July 4 post of him saluting in uniform as 'potentially sensitive content'.
Retired US Army Captain Sam Brown posted a photo on Independence Day of himself saluting and the phrase 'Freedom isn't free' - with his facial injuries from the blast visible in the image.
'On July 4, 1776, America was born,' he wrote. 'On July 4, 2021, we're still the best country on this planet.'
While the tweet itself was not restricted, the photo was slapped with a warning reading: 'The following media includes potentially sensitive content.'
A Twitter spokesperson told DailyMail.com the tweet 'was marked as sensitive because of the media settings of the user, not because of any action on the part of Twitter.'
Twitter users can mark their own tweets as containing material that may be sensitive by adjusting their account settings and preferences.
The furore comes as Donald Trump launched a class action law suit against CEO Jack Dorsey, as well as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai claiming he is the victim of censorship by the tech behemoths.
A veteran badly burned in an Afghanistan IED blast has slammed Twitter for flagging his July 4 post of him saluting in uniform as 'potentially sensitive content' (the tweet above)
Brown blasted the social media giant accusing it of flagging his tweet and questioning the timing, given he had just announced his intentions to run for Senate as a Republican candidate.
'Hey @Twitter, I didn't realize my face was 'sensitive content',' he tweeted Tuesday, sharing a grab of the tweet with the warning.
'Ironic considering I only have 3 tweets & just filed to run for U.S. Senate only hours ago.
'Was it my scars or the fact that I salute the flag? Regardless, neither are going away—and neither am I,' he added, along with an American flag emoji.
The tweet continued to display the warning tag Wednesday morning.
Brown accused the social media giant of carrying out 'egregious and un-American actions' by 'censoring' his right to free speech.
'While I was ready to lay down my life in order to protect freedom of speech for my fellow Americans, Big Tech today decided that they know better, censoring me and deeming my comments regarding this great nation 'Sensitive Content,'' Brown told Fox News.
Retired US Army Captain Sam Brown (pictured) had posted the photo on Independence Day of himself saluting and the phrase 'Freedom isn't free' - with his facial injuries from the blast visible in the image
'These egregious and un-American actions come mere hours after I took steps to file and establish my candidacy for the United States Senate in Nevada, reinforcing my belief that 'Big Tech' is working against conservatives and trying to silence our voices.'
He added: 'Everyday I wear the scars of my service and I am still proud to call myself an American. If Twitter thinks they can censor my military service, my love for this country, or the flag it represents - they are sorely mistaken.'
According to the Twitter Help Center, a tweet can be labeled as 'potentially sensitive' by both Twitter or the individual posting the tweet.
If a tweet is reported to contain sensitive content it is sent to Twitter for review which may label it as being potentially sensitive.
Meanwhile, account holders can mark their own media settings with the warning.
'By appropriately marking your media settings, Twitter can identify potentially sensitive content that other users may not wish to see, such as violence or nudity,' according to the Help Center.
'If you intend to regularly post such content, we ask that you please adjust your media settings.'
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