Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Twitter suspends major alt-right accounts - The Verge

Perhaps someday, if unregulated communication channels still exist in the United States, Facebook and Twitter can explain why they didn't consistently enforce this type of policy years ago

"The alt-right movement has flourished on both Facebook and Twitter, despite complaints over the group's hateful rhetoric and abuse. A study from George Washington University in September found that although Twitter has effectively cracked down on accounts linked to ISIS, white nationalists and neo-Nazis have continued to thrive on the platform "with relative impunity." In July, Twitter banned notorious troll Milo Yiannopoulos after he encouraged his followers to tweet racist messages to Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones, though before Tuesday, the site had never suspended alt-right accounts en masse.

The suspensions also come after Trump's controversial decision to appoint Steve Bannon as chief strategist in his administration. Bannon, the executive chairman of the right-wing site Breitbart News, served as Trump's campaign CEO and has openly espoused racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic views in the past. His appointment to a top White House post has raised serious concerns over the influence he may wield over the Trump administration."
Twitter suspends major alt-right accounts - The Verge

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