Twitter explains suspending Rose McGowan's account

NEW YORK -- Rose McGowan's Twitter account was suspended overnight, temporarily muting a central figure in the allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

McGowan said late Wednesday that Twitter had suspended her from tweeting after the social media company said she broke its rules. On her Instagram account, McGowan said "there are powerful forces at work" and pleaded for others to "be my voice."

Twitter issued a statement late Thursday morning explaining the decision. It said  McGowan's account "was temporarily locked because one of her Tweets included a private phone number, which violates of our Terms of Service."

Twitter added that the tweet was removed and her account has been unlocked.

"Twitter is proud to empower and support the voices on our platform, especially those that speak truth to power," the company said in a statement. "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 voices."

The New York Times earlier reported that McGowan was among the numerous women sexually harassed by Weinstein, who paid McGowan a financial settlement in 1997.

McGowan on Tuesday tweeted "now I am allowed to say rapist."

McGowan also recently called Ben Affleck "a liar" on Twitter and suggested the actor knew about Weinstein's conduct. Representatives for Affleck haven't responded to messages regarding that allegation.

McGowan's suspension on Twitter prompted an outcry from some accusing the social media site of selective censorship. Twitter has repeatedly come under fire for failing to effectively rein in hate speech and vitriol directed at women on its platform.

Anthony Bourdain and Jamie Lee Curtis were among those to react sharply to McGowan's account being suspended: