Why Twitter refuses to ban InfoWars’ Alex Jones
American conspiracy theorist was kicked off Facebook and YouTube this week
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has insisted that American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s tweets do not violate the social media platform’s rules, following growing calls for a ban on the controversial media figure.
Jones, creator of the InfoWars far-right news website and multiple talk shows, has been banned from several major platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, in recent days for promoting “hate speech and violence”, The Guardian says.
He has “built a vast audience” peddling theories that include claims that the 9/11 attacks were staged by the US government and that the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 was “faked by left-wing forces to promote gun control”, the newspaper says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But despite Jones’s reputation as a promoter of fake news, Dorsey said in a tweet that he would not be kicked off the platform.
The internet tycoon said Twitter will take action if Jones does break their content policy, but that in the meantime, “we’ll continue to promote a healthy conversational environment by ensuring tweets aren’t artificially amplified”.
“Accounts like Jones’ can often sensationalise issues and spread unsubstantiated rumours”, Dorsey added, “so it’s critical journalists document, validate, and refute such information directly so people can form their own opinions.”
Dorsey’s comments were met with a backlash from other Twitter users, who accused the company chief of passing the buck when it comes to handling fake stories.
Although Jones remains on Twitter despite the purge of InfoWars content on other major sites, the platform has banned British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The former English Defence League (EDL) leader was ordered off in March, “as part of a wider crackdown on hateful and abusive content”, the BBC reports.
This week Robinson revealed that his Instagram account had been blocked, and said he feared that Facebook “will soon close us down” as well.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
Speed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Palazzo Durazzo Suites in Genoa: a palatial gem in northern Italy
The Week Recommends Live your Italian dream in this astonishing and recently restored palace in the heart of the city
By Nick Hendry Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 25, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - TikTok in the firing line, protests on campus, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Elon Musk's most controversial moments
The Explainer The business mogul has a long history in the hot seat
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's 'frivolous' but precedent-setting free speech fight with Media Matters
Talking Point The lawsuit is just the latest in Musk's ongoing tension with social media watchdogs
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Musk's rebranding ruin Twitter?
Talking Point Is Musk dooming his own company by scrapping its valuable brand, or is it all leading to something bigger?
By Harold Maass Published
-
Twitter to X and five other controversial rebrands from history
Under the Radar Elon Musk’s decision joins a long list of derided company changes
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
Elon Musk announces change to Twitter logo
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Threads: will privacy fears scupper Meta’s Twitter ‘killer’?
Under the Radar Mark Zuckerberg’s new Threads app has launched but data protection rules mean it isn’t yet available in the EU
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet Published