Tuesday, August 07, 2018

Apple, Facebook and YouTube Remove Content From Alex Jones and Infowars -- NYT

Your move, Twitter; also see There aren’t many platforms left for Alex Jones and Infowars (The Verge)
"Apple, Google, Facebook and Spotify severely restricted the reach of Mr. Jones and Infowars, his right-wing site that has been a leading peddler of false information online. Mr. Jones and Infowars have used social media for years to spread dark and bizarre theories, such as that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax and that Democrats run a global child-sex ring. Apple made its move on Sunday and the others followed on Monday.

The actions, one of the tech companies’ most aggressive efforts against misinformation, highlighted a difficult dilemma for their businesses. They have long desired to combat misinformation online, but they have also been reluctant to be arbiters of truth.

But since a rise of misinformation online around elections, such as the 2016 presidential vote, the tech companies have faced increasing calls from lawmakers and the news media to address their role in that spread of false information and a related increase in partisan divisions. The tech companies have recently stepped up enforcement — but that has led to accusations of political bias, largely from conservatives."
p.s. Stitcher beat Apple in banning all of Jone's content by a couple days, according to this Vox article
Apple, Facebook and YouTube Remove Content From Alex Jones and Infowars -- NYT

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