Twitter suspends accounts of white nationalists under new rules

Twitter is cracking down on white nationalists, and has suspended the account of the Britain First deputy leader who was retweeted by Donald Trump.

A smartphone display shows the Twitter logo

Source: AAP

Twitter has suspended the accounts of well-known white nationalists, moving swiftly to enforce its new rules aimed at reducing what it deems abusive content.

The account of far-right group Britain First, a small group that regularly posts inflammatory videos purporting to show Muslims engaged in acts of violence, was among the first to go dark. The individual accounts of two of its leaders, Jayda Fransen and Paul Golding, were also suspended.

President Donald Trump caused a stir last month when he retweeted a post by Fransen, drawing criticism from British Prime Minister Theresa May. Fransen and Golding were arrested in Belfast last week for allegedly stirring up hatred.
Twitter said it would not comment on individual accounts. The company has emphasised that it takes into account many factors before making any enforcement decision, including context of the post, cultural and political considerations and the severity of the violation.

Twitter's actions drew praise from civil rights groups.

The guidelines, announced a month ago and put into force this week, address hateful images or symbols, including those attached to user profiles.

Monitors at the San Francisco company will weigh hateful imagery in the same way they do graphic violence and adult content.

If a user wants to post symbols or images that might be considered hateful, the post must be marked "sensitive media." Other users would then see a warning that would allow them to decide whether to view the post.

Twitter is also prohibiting users from abusing or threatening others through their profiles or usernames. The company also now bans accounts affiliated with "organisations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their causes."


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Published 19 December 2017 8:42am
Updated 19 December 2017 10:26am


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