Apple, Facebook delete content from Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

Infowars host Alex Jones. Photo / AP file

Major technology companies including Apple, Facebook and YouTube deleted years of content from conservative conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars platforms over allegations of hate speech.

The sudden clampdownis fuelling the growing debate over how big technology companies choose to censor.

The move was unusual for its sweep and speed, suggesting a new assertiveness by technology companies that in the past have worked to avoid alienating conservatives, who often assert that left-leaning Silicon Valley is biased against them. The removals appeared to be prompted by more users flagging Infowars content for policy violations.

Jones' shows long have sparked complaints because of many elaborate and unsupported claims, including that mass shootings such as the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary may have been staged and that the government orchestrated the September 11 attacks. In July, YouTube banned one of his videos from June entitled "How to Prevent Liberalism," which depicts a man shoving a kid to the ground.

But in acting against Jones in recent days, the technology companies cited unspecified violations of their rules against hateful language. Facebook said in a statement it was removing four of Jones' pages "for glorifying violence, which violates our graphic violence policy, and using dehumanising language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants, which violates our hate speech policies."

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have long clung to the claim that they are neutral platforms and that they don't want to be in the business of deciding what is true or false.

The action echoed the abrupt removal of the accounts of some white supremacists a year ago, a few days after the far-right rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. But companies are increasingly willing to limit free speech, after the backlash from Charlottesville and Russian manipulation.

The recent actions by the technology companies also highlight the opaque nature of their decision-making, with most not publicly specifying what content by Jones violated their policies or how they decided what posts to block and which to leave online. Jones has treaded close to some definitions of hate speech for years, and it wasn't clear from the companies if or when he finally crossed the line.

Both Facebook and YouTube said that Jones had posted new objectionable content over the weekend that influenced their decision to take the content down.

YouTube said in a statement, "When users violate these policies repeatedly, like our policies against hate speech and harassment or our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures, we terminate their accounts."

Twitter is the only major platform not to have banned Alex Jones. A company spokesman said Monday that InfoWars and its associated accounts do not currently violate its rules https://t.co/J5SYrMCerc

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 6, 2018

"Apple does not tolerate hate speech, and we have clear guidelines that creators and developers must follow to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our users," Apple said in a statement. "We believe in representing a wide range of views, so long as people are respectful to those with differing opinions."

The actions came in a cascade, starting with Spotify removing some podcasts last week. Then, Apple removed the majority of Jones' podcasts from iTunes and its podcast apps. Today, Facebook followed by blocking four of Jones's pages, and then YouTube deleted his Infowars page, with 2.4 million followers. Both companies had already temporarily suspended InfoWars since late July.

The backlash was swift, with Jones saying in a text message to the Washington Post Monday morning that the removal of his shows amounted to an assault against "the First Amendment in this country as we know it."

He blamed China, Democrats, "establishment" Republicans and mainstream news organizations for seeking to mount a "counter-strike against the global awakening."

He warned, "You sold the country out, and now you're going to pay for it."