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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/15/twitter-suspends-infowars-alex-jones-abuse
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| Twitter suspends Infowars' Alex Jones for abuse | Twitter suspends Infowars' Alex Jones for abuse |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Controversial Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been suspended from Twitter for up to seven days. | Controversial Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been suspended from Twitter for up to seven days. |
| The suspension has put Jones into what Twitter describes as “read-only mode” preventing him from tweeting, liking or retweeting, but not removing his tweets or personal account from the social network. The Infowars Twitter account remains unaffected. | The suspension has put Jones into what Twitter describes as “read-only mode” preventing him from tweeting, liking or retweeting, but not removing his tweets or personal account from the social network. The Infowars Twitter account remains unaffected. |
| A Twitter spokesperson said the action was taken for tweets containing a video that was in violation of the company’s rules on abusive behaviour and inciting violence. Twitter instructed Jones to delete the tweets, which he has done. | A Twitter spokesperson said the action was taken for tweets containing a video that was in violation of the company’s rules on abusive behaviour and inciting violence. Twitter instructed Jones to delete the tweets, which he has done. |
| The New York Times reports that Jones tweeted a link to a video calling for supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready against media and others. | The New York Times reports that Jones tweeted a link to a video calling for supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready against media and others. |
| The move by the last remaining high-profile social network, from which Jones has yet to be permanently banned, comes after a tumultuous period in which Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey has had to repeatedly defend the company’s position. | |
| Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Apple banned Jones’s accounts and products from their various services on 6 August following the media backlash. Jones’s apps still remain available via Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store, however. | Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Apple banned Jones’s accounts and products from their various services on 6 August following the media backlash. Jones’s apps still remain available via Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store, however. |
| Dorsey and Twitter have come under criticism for not following suit and permanently removing Jones and his “verified” account with 889,000 followers from the service. | Dorsey and Twitter have come under criticism for not following suit and permanently removing Jones and his “verified” account with 889,000 followers from the service. |
| “We know that’s hard for many but the reason is simple: he hasn’t violated our rules,” Dorsey said last week. “We’ll enforce if he does. And we’ll continue to promote a healthy conversational environment by ensuring tweets aren’t artificially amplified.” | “We know that’s hard for many but the reason is simple: he hasn’t violated our rules,” Dorsey said last week. “We’ll enforce if he does. And we’ll continue to promote a healthy conversational environment by ensuring tweets aren’t artificially amplified.” |
| Since founding the far-right platform Infowars in 1999, Jones has promoted theories ranging from the government staging of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington to the left-wing faking of the Sandy Hook massacre where 26 children and adults were killed at the elementary school in Connecticut. | Since founding the far-right platform Infowars in 1999, Jones has promoted theories ranging from the government staging of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington to the left-wing faking of the Sandy Hook massacre where 26 children and adults were killed at the elementary school in Connecticut. |
| Two Sandy Hook parents have sued Jones, seeking at least $1m (£770,000), claiming they have been subjected to harassment driven by his shows. | Two Sandy Hook parents have sued Jones, seeking at least $1m (£770,000), claiming they have been subjected to harassment driven by his shows. |
| Twitter is the last major host for Alex Jones’s rants. Why does he get to break their rules? | Twitter is the last major host for Alex Jones’s rants. Why does he get to break their rules? |
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