Twitter: we're not blocking #Wikileaks

While it may seem that news about Wikileaks is everywhere, Twitter says that doesn't mean it's going to break the top 10 trending topics in the United States.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Twitter reports that with more than 95 million tweets going out every day, the topics that break into the trends list reflect a dramatic increase in volume of those terms. Buzzfeed postulates that Wikileaks succumbed to the "Bieber Effect": "Becoming a part of the constant background noise just like love, hate, and Christmas."

The company has taken a lot of heat lately — especially this week — about whether it's blocked #wikileaks, #cablegate or other related topics from appearing in the list of top Trends.

Earlier this week, Technolog mentioned a few bloggers who have taken a lot of time to analyze the trends and algorithms, perplexed at the absence of #wikileaks from the top 10 list.

While a Twitter spokesman responded to us and others directly, the company is also responding (via its blog) to allegations that it is blocking those terms.

In a nutshell: "Twitter favors novelty over popularity."

Which might explain why, at this moment, the top trends are: #IfIHadSuperPowers (Promoted), #songsthatleadtosex, Howard Stern, Carl Crawford, #whyrelationshipsdontlast, Jim Morrison, Urban Meyer, RHP, Rise & Grind and Giving Pledge.

More explanation, directly from Twitter:

Twitter seems intent on convincing folks that trends isn't about being the most popular kid in school.

Whatever Twitter says, some people aren't going to accept its explanations. I read this in an e-mail thread in the response Twitter sent to us, and I have a feeling she's not alone: