As Alex Jones rails against 'Big Tech' his Infowars stores still thrive online

The tech industry has banned conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over repeated allegations of hate speech. Photo / Ap

The tech industry's bans of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over repeated allegations of hate speech have left intact key elements of his money-making machinery -- digital storefronts that sell apparel, survivalist gear and nutritional supplements.

And business, so far at least, appears to be booming.

The sites, called Infowars stores after Jones' main conspiracy-themed brand, continue to operate on Twitter and Facebook, both of which have closed other accounts affiliated with Jones.

Digital storefronts on these and other digital platforms funnel traffic to a website, Infowarsstore.com, that has not been affected by the industry crackdown on Jones. It had 1.15 million visits in August, up 55 per cent compared to June, the last month before the recent controversy started, according to SimilarWeb, an analytics tool.

The digital storefronts offer t-shirts picturing Jones with a piece of tape over his mouth saying "CENSORED," as well as dozens of other InfoWars-branded products, such as Super Male Vitality and Survival Shield supplements. Jones regularly touts these in his radio broadcasts and videos, and much of the advertising on his remaining online sites direct traffic to Infowars product offerings.

Jones' ability to keep digital commerce flowing even as he rails against "Big Tech" also shows how adept he has been at using the industry's tools, including web hosting services, payment systems and digital advertising networks.

His sprawling network that recently included more than 90 digital accounts that bear his name or Infowars' exploits the inconsistencies in how technology companies police users of its platforms -- potentially exposing the companies to further criticism from congressional Republicans that they unfairly silence conservative voices such as Jones.

"Bans of Alex Jones and his affiliated network of Infowars accounts have yet to affect the brand's main revenue generator -- the storefront and e-commerce operations," said Jonathan Albright, research director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, who has studied traffic to Infowars Store online accounts. "When Jones makes the headlines, there is a distinct pattern of traffic surges to Infowars properties, including the store website."

Albright found that traffic to Infowarsstore.com spiked on Aug. 7, the day after several tech companies banned him and removed large amounts of videos and other content for what they said were violations of hate speech, according to several analytics tools. There is not yet enough data to analyze visitor flows in September, he said.

Albright also found that, in August, more than 60 percent of visitors to Infowarsstore.com next visited PayPal, suggesting a high rate of sales. He also measured the effectiveness of several targeted Facebook ads, touting such products as fluoride-free toothpaste and camping gear pitched to survivalists, and found more than 1.5 million clicks that took users to Infowarsstore.com.

Jones, in an audio text responding to requests for comment from The Post, didn't address questions about his online retail sales or his clashes with technology companies. Instead he said, "I know you're going to try to continue on trying to shut down commerce in America and terrorise people and bully people. . . So make up whatever you're going to make up. Don't pretend that you're journalists."

Jones, however, defended InfoWars' nutritional supplements, which range in price from about $20 to more than $60 per bottle, depending on the product. "Our supplements have been tested all over the country and are amongst the safest and best out there," he said in his audio message. "They're high quality."

Their value has been called into question by a series of lab tests. San Francisco-based testing firm Labdoor reported testing six of the InfoWars supplements last year, finding them not dangerous but scientifically "questionable" in their value, with low doses of easily available ingredients, according to a post on its website. Buzzfeed first reported on these findings.

The Center for Environmental Health, a non-profit group based in Oakland, also tested several Infowars supplements and found that two of them, Caveman Paleo Formula and Myco-ZX, had levels of lead that exceeded California standards. The non-profit group initiated legal action in October, and a representative for the group said it is negotiating with InfoWars to have the lead levels reduced.

Jones and Infowars, based in Austin, once sprawled across nearly every major digital platform, touting conspiracy theories such as Pizzagate and allegations that the U.S. government had a role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and that notorious school shootings were staged by actors. Parents of two children killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012 have sued Jones for intense emotional distress for claiming that the mass killing was a hoax.

Albright found that of more than 90 digital accounts affiliated with Jones, 16 were Infowars stores or other commercial accounts. As he was assembling the list last week, all of these commercial accounts were still active -- even in cases where the same company had closed other accounts Jones controlled.

Since then, Apple on Friday removed the "Infowars Official" app from its App Store. The app had a shopping tab that linked back to the Infowarsstore.com website. Apple said in a statement that the app, which also carried videos that Apple had removed from other services, was "in violation of App Store guidelines."

YouTube, which last month closed several channels related to Jones and Infowars, closed the Infowars store over the weekend. YouTube issued a statement saying, "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 has left open an Infowars Store account that offers apparel and nutritional supplements despite banning Jones and several of his accounts. The company said in a tweet last week, "We will continue to evaluate reports we receive regarding other accounts potentially associated with @realalexjones or @infowars and will take action if content that violates our rules is reported or if other accounts are utilised in an attempt to circumvent their ban."

Facebook removed several Alex Jones and Infowars pages for violating hate speech guidelines last month. Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said that the Infowars stores on the platforms has not violated any policies and remain open.

Both Amazon and eBay have Infowars storefronts on their sites. An eBay spokesperson said that the store does not violate company policies. Amazon did not respond to queries seeking comment on its handling of Infowars.