Why Twitter unbanned a leading member of the white supremacist alt-right

[Anarky]

http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/11/13911182/twitter-ban-richard-spencer-alt-right

In November, facing a wave of criticism for the role it had possibly played in helping to disseminate alt-right rhetoric and sweeping President-elect Donald Trump to victory, Twitter took drastic action. It conducted a site-wide purge of hundreds of accounts apparently belonging to members of the racist, misogynistic, bigoted online arm of white supremacy known as the alt-right.

Saturday, however, Twitter not only reinstated but also re-verified one of the notable alt-right accounts it purged last month.

The account belongs to Richard Spencer, a white supremacist who popularized the term “alt-right” as a controversial name for the group that many believe is meant to obfuscate the racist ideology at the movement’s core. Spencer, who runs a white supremacist “think tank” known as the National Policy Institute, drew attention in November after he hosted a convention in which he “hailed” Trump’s victory to attendees who performed Nazi salutes in response.

A Twitter spokesperson told Vox that Spencer was suspended not for hate speech or for inciting harm, but for having too many accounts: “Our rules explicitly prohibit creating multiple accounts with overlapping uses. When we temporarily suspend multiple accounts for this violation, the account owner can designate one account for reinstatement."

In other words, Twitter suspended Spencer’s account because he had too many accounts that all espoused his alt-right rhetoric. Twitter has provided to Vox a copy of the email it sent to Spencer about his reinstatement, in which it gave him the option to pick one account, and one only

 

[Frozenprince]

Twitter must really, really, really hate money.

How stupid can you be, there is no reason to un-ban him.

 

[Htown]

 

[Slayven]

Twitter must really, really, really hate money.

How stupid can you be, there is no reason to un-ban him.

It's going to become unusable as a platform in a few years

 

[Permanently A]

Its clear what side the Silicon Valley elite are on. Facebook, Reddit, Twitter all for one reason or another want nothing to do with cleaning their sites of filth.

 

[Beartruck]

Twitter's silicon valley laissez faire attitude has turned it into a total shithole. Moderation is important guys! Give a shit!

 

[Levito]

I use twitter daily but they are fucking abysmal when it comes to dealing with the abuse and shitty people on their platform.

 

[Frozenprince]

How can you actively want to sell the company and still do this shit?

Like, it honestly baffles me.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Well...that's laughable to say the least.

 

[Gluka]

Libertarianism is a poisonous ideology and it has its fangs deep in silicon valley.

 

[neshcom]

Social networks have a financial incentive to let as many people on their services. That's why hate speech is rampant on Facebook and Twitter: every user is worth ad money to someone. Conversely, these sites have no incentive to curb hate speech and harassment or allow interoperability because these handful of services have become so large that people have no alternative.

 

[Nokterian]

And they verified breitbart news......................................what...the fuck...

 

[Slayven]

How can you actively want to sell the company and still do this shit?

Like, it honestly baffles me.

Disney was going to buy them, like they were serious about it but changed their mind because Twitter is so toxic.

They could have had Disney money by just being decent. I hope they are the next Digg

 

[RinsFury]

Twitter continues to circle the drain. Disgusting.

 

[Crossing Eden]

A Twitter spokesperson told Vox that Spencer was suspended not for hate speech or for inciting harm, but for having too many accounts

Oh fuck you

 

[HotHamBoy]

Twitter's silicon valley laissez faire attitude has turned it into a total shithole. Moderation is important guys! Give a shit!

It's the reason I soley post on NeoGAF for everything.

I say this as someone who was soft-banned multiple time for behavior I didn't realize was toxic because of how normal it was on other forums.

NeoGAF taught me internet edicate, lol.

 

[purseowner]

Awful, but have to admit I'm relieved.

For a moment I thought they'd unbanned Milo.

 

[Frozenprince]

THE DUDE LITERALLY CALLS HIMSELF A WHITE NATIONALIST.

Like what the fuck.

 

[Seth Enosh]

Disney was going to buy them, like they were serious about it but changed their mind because Twitter is so toxic.

They could have had Disney money by just being decent. I hope they are the next Digg

Digg cratered because they tried to control and direct their users' activity (especially with the digg redesign). The users promptly fled to Reddit, which allows almost anything on their platform.

Probably not the best example to cite when arguing that Twitter should increase censorship.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Fuck Twitter.

 

[Slayven]

Digg cratered because they tried to control and direct their users' activity (especially with the digg redesign). The users promptly fled to Reddit, which allows almost anything on their platform.

Probably not the best example to cite when arguing that Twitter should increase censorship.

I meant Digg in relevancy

 

[VeryGooster]

And Dorsey is trying to sell the site? Lol

 

[Crossing Eden]

Digg cratered because they tried to control and direct their users' activity (especially with the digg redesign). The users promptly fled to Reddit, which allows almost anything on their platform.

Probably not the best example to cite when arguing that Twitter should increase censorship.

Actively enforcing the TOS is not censorship, actively putting up a defense against users who not only violate the TOS but do so while harassing individuals is not censorship. Harassment and hate speech is not free speech.

 

[BrutishMrFish]

Awful, but have to admit I'm relieved.

For a moment I thought they'd unbanned Milo.

Yeah, that was my first thought too.

It just goes to show what a shitstain of a company Twitter is.

 

[John Kowalski]

Twitter will never care, expecting it to will only lead to disappointment.

 

[MrSaturn99]

jesus

christ

 

[Beefy]

A girl I know was getting rape / death threats from a guy on twitter (and his gf) and did fuck all about it. She reported them loads of times by the report button and even sent a email . Twitter don't give a shit.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Disney: Hey, I heard you guys need some money.

Twitter: Yes! Yes we do! Are you looking to buy?

Disney: ...yeeeeeeah, but uh here's the thing. This whole harrassment and doxxing and white nationalism stuff? That shit ain't gonna fly if you wanna be a part of our brand.

Twitter: Never! We value ourselves on the ideals of free speech and freedom in all forms.

Disney: Cool, we'll just let the free market decide whether you die in 6 months or 12.

 

[Cartman86]

Actively enforcing the TOS is not censorship, actively putting up a defense against users who not only violate the TOS but do so while harassing individuals is not censorship. Harassment and hate speech is not free speech.

In the US hate speech is free speech and a lot of what the alt right does would fall under those laws. Twitter is another story but if we are using the phrase free speech I assume it relates to government.

Twitter should follow their TOS and create a non shit environment but I think the criticism is defacto censorship. People are starting to see Twitter as a massive form of communication that is unique. This worry I think is ultimately unfounded.

 

[maruchan]

How much is twitter? If we could only buy it and then close it forever

 

[samn]

Disney: ...yeeeeeeah, but uh here's the thing. This whole harrassment and doxxing and white nationalism stuff? That shit ain't gonna fly if you wanna be a part of our brand.

tell that to Ike Perlmutter

 

[Frozenprince]

Disney: Hey, I heard you guys need some money.

Twitter: Yes! Yes we do! Are you looking to buy?

Disney: ...yeeeeeeah, but uh here's the thing. This whole harrassment and doxxing and white nationalism stuff? That shit ain't gonna fly if you wanna be a part of our brand.

Twitter: Never! We value ourselves on the ideals of free speech and freedom in all forms.

Disney: Cool, we'll just let the free market decide whether you die in 6 months or 12.

Silicon Valley is a blight on humanity.

 

[KernelPanic]

Twitter is desperate for active users. Their active user base would significantly tank if they curbed hate speech.

All social media cares about is active users and advertising $$$

 

[Seth Enosh]

Actively enforcing the TOS is not censorship, actively putting up a defense against users who not only violate the TOS but do so while harassing individuals is not censorship. Harassment and hate speech is not free speech.

Agree.

Has spencer been harassing on twitter like Milo was? He should be re-banned for that reason if so (rather than some bogus "multiple accounts" rule that probably is hardly enforced otherwise). Never really heard of this guy until Trump's election and suddenly the media trotted him out and raised his profile a lot, so I'm not up on his antics on twitter.

 

[DragonSworne]

Fuck twitter and anyone who post twitter links. Not clicking on their links anymore.

 

[Darryl M R]

I can only pray the situation is:

>Ban him for having too many accounts which is not a permanent ban
>Unban him
>Ban him for being a bigot which is a permanent ban

At least it isn't Milo.

 

[Crossing Eden]

In the US hate speech is free speech and a lot of what the alt right does would fall under those laws. Twitter is another story but if we are using the phrase free speech I assume it relayed to government.

"Fighting words" is excluded from the bill of rights, hate speech to any individual absolutely constitutes fighting words.

 

[Linkura]

What is with all of these Internet companies being so spineless? Twitter, Reddit, come the fuck on.

 

[Frozenprince]

Free speech does not mean freedom from consequence of saying hateful and dumb shit.

Sick of free speech being co-opted for that. That's not what it means.

 

[Seth Enosh]

"Fighting words" is excluded from the bill of rights, hate speech to any individual absolutely constitutes fighting words.

In the US that may not be true any more. Fighting words doctrine has been significantly narrowed and laws against hate speech have been struck down by the courts. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.A.V._v._City_of_St._Paul

This isn't relevant to twitter's legal ability to do whatever they want though.

 

[Mark L]

Why isn't the title "Why Twitter unbanned a leading Neo-Nazi?"

 

[Alligatorjandro]

A literal nazi

 

[Breads]

Haven't you heard? Nazis are mainstream now and they have rights to protect!

 

[Silver Arrows]

Free speech does not mean freedom from consequence of saying hateful and dumb shit.

whoa there, Frozen, you are charting pretty close to Slippery Slope™ territory!

 

[Nepenthe]

Free speech does not mean freedom from consequence of saying hateful and dumb shit.

Sick of free speech being co-opted for that. That's not what it means.

What's even better is that these same people who think they are entitled to use a private platform will be the first guys to tell you that anyone upset about their bigoted rhetoric just needs to get over it. But then they're told to go fuck themselves and they're suddenly victims of the PC police.

 

[RinsFury]

Free speech does not mean freedom from consequence of saying hateful and dumb shit.

Sick of free speech being co-opted for that. That's not what it means.

And there is no law that says social media must allow deplorables a platform to spew their hateful ideology. This failure to clean house will be their downfall. Good riddance, I hope their successor is taking notes.

 

[Silver Arrows]

I wonder how those people constantly moaning about how hate speech laws are a slippery slope, would react to spouting off their racist rhetoric in a place that isn't chickenshit to prosecute people on it, like, I dunno, Germany or Canada?

 

[HStallion]

It's going to become unusable as a platform in a few years

I don't know if it will take even that long. I was never a fan but I realized why so many other people loved it. However it just seems like a quagmire at this point.

 

[PopeReal]

Twitter is allowing Nazis to spread propaganda. Twitter allows death and rape threats. Twitter is fine with racism and hate.

Good job Twitter.

 

[EatinOlives]

And yet they act surprised that nobody wants to buy them.

A Twitter spokesperson told Vox that Spencer was suspended not because they have anything resembling a moral code, but for having too many accounts

Fixed