Alex Jones Safe At Twitter But Banned From YouTube And Facebook
Alex Jones is a conservative radio host that’s recently been removed from several websites, including YouTube and Facebook. The reason that the platforms gave Jones is that his content has been labeled as hate speech.
However, Twitter’s CEO has spoken up and said that they will not ban Alex Jones from their platform. Jack posted a message explaining his thought process, according to the BBC.
“We didn’t suspend Alex Jones or Infowars yesterday. We know that’s hard for many but the reason is simple: he hasn’t violated our rules. We’ll enforce if he does.”
Jack went on to explain himself further, in a bid for more transparency in their decision-making. He also added that Twitter is not a “service that’s constructed by our personal views that can swing in any direction.”
While the CEO remained fairly vague, it appears that he’s saying that Twitter is not going to ban a user based over subjects that have multiple points of view. But at the same time, Jack acknowledged that their decision to do so could be unpopular.
“We’re going to hold Jones to the same standard we hold to every account, not taking one-off actions to make us feel good in the short term, and adding fuel to new conspiracy theories.”
On the other hand, Facebook, YouTube, and other website giants are taking a different approach.
For example, Jones’ podcasts including Infowars, The Alex Jones Show, and War Room have been removed from iTunes, according to the Inquisitr. The content removal also happened on Spotify. Additionally, Facebook said that Jones was removed because of “repeated violations of the platform’s content policies.”
All of these bans started with Apple, detailed The Guardian. After the tech giant’s move to remove Jones’ content, other companies followed suit.
But just because Jack is allowing Jones to stay on Twitter doesn’t mean that the CEO is advocating for hate speech. He clarified, saying that “While we welcome everyone to express themselves on our service, we prohibit targeted behaviour that harasses, threatens, or uses fear to silence the voices of others.”
The move to remove Jones is actually uncharacteristic for Facebook, reported CNN Money. The website said that they believed in free speech, and defended Jones in the past.
Also, other news-related websites wonder if the removal of Infowars indicates a potential removal of their platform too. This includes Drudge Report, along with other conservative media sources that are unaffiliated with Jones.
