The Mercury News

Twitter boots hostile users

Accounts linked to the ‘alt-right’ deemed by social media site to promote unacceptab­le content

- By Bree Fowler

NEW YORK — Twitter has suspended the accounts of several prominent members of the so-called “alt-right” in an apparent crackdown on accounts tied to hate speech or threats of violence.

Twitter declined to comment, but noted that its policies forbid violent threats, hate speech or harassment and promise to take action against violators. The company also announced Tuesday that it was expanding ways for users to report harassment and curb the amount of abuse they see, a reaction to a growing problem of abuse, bullying and harassment on the internet.

The alt-right, short for “alternativ­e right,” is a loose group espousing a provocativ­e and reactionar­y strain of conservati­sm. It’s often associated with

“Twitter is how the president releases press releases and it’s also how teenage girls talk about Justin Bieber.” — Richard Spencer, National Policy Institute, a white nationalis­t think tank

far-right efforts to preserve “white identity,” oppose multicultu­ralism and defend “Western values.”

The movement drew national attention during the presidenti­al campaign, especially after Stephen Bannon of the Breitbart website, considered by many to be the alt-right’s platform, joined Donald Trump’s campaign. Trump recently named Bannon as the White House chief strategist.

Richard Spencer, head of the National Policy Institute, a white nationalis­t think tank, said in an interview that his personal Twitter account and accounts for the institute and his magazine were all suspended this week without notificati­on.

Spencer, who is credited with popularizi­ng the term “alt-right,” says he has never called for violence and hasn’t tweeted anything recently that might provoke a suspension. He called the suspension­s a coordinate­d attack against users with certain viewpoints.

While he acknowledg­ed that Twitter is a company and has a right to do as it pleases, he says it also needs to accept that it has evolved into something bigger and needs to act accordingl­y.

“This is 2016 and we live in a digital world,” he said. “Twitter is how the president releases press releases and it’s also how teenage girls talk about Justin Bieber.

“Twitter is not just some website. It’s a public space and we have to treat it that way.”

Pax Dickinson, who was ousted as chief technology officer of the website Business Insider in 2013 for sending offensive tweets, says he also wasn’t given a reason for his Twitter suspension. But he says it most likely stemmed from a tweet he sent director Joss Whedon that included an anti-gay slur.

Dickinson says he’s appealed the suspension, but has yet to hear back from Twitter. Spencer says he doesn’t plan on coming back to Twitter unless he gets an apology.

The Twitter accounts of alt-right personalit­ies Paul Town, Ricky Vaughn and John Rivers also were suspended as of Wednesday.

Online harassment has long been a problem for the internet. But because Twitter allows most conversati­ons to play out in public and allows for relative anonymity, it has been especially visible there. And it’s especially challengin­g because Twitter harassment often resembles online mob action, with numerous pseudonymo­us accounts ganging up to tweet vile messages at particular individual­s.

Actress Leslie Jones briefly quit Twitter in July after dealing with racial slurs, obscene photos and comments about her appearance. She called on the social networking service to do more to curb harassment on the platform.

Twitter ultimately banned several users, including conservati­ve provocateu­r and Breitbart technology editor Milo Yiannopoul­os.

 ??  ?? The “alt-right” movement drew national attention during the presidenti­al campaign after Stephen Bannon of the Breitbart website, joined Donald Trump’s campaign. Breitbart is considered to be the alt-right’s platform.
The “alt-right” movement drew national attention during the presidenti­al campaign after Stephen Bannon of the Breitbart website, joined Donald Trump’s campaign. Breitbart is considered to be the alt-right’s platform.
 ?? RICHARD DREW/ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES ?? Twitter has declined to comment on the account suspension­s, but noted that its policies forbid violent threats, hate speech or harassment, adding that it will take action against repeat offenders.
RICHARD DREW/ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES Twitter has declined to comment on the account suspension­s, but noted that its policies forbid violent threats, hate speech or harassment, adding that it will take action against repeat offenders.

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