Twitter Bans Jones, ‘Infowars,’ Citing Abuse

September 6, 2018, 5:32 PM

Twitter Bans Jones, 'Infowars,' Citing Abuse

FILE- Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., after listening to Facebook and Twitter executives testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on foreign influence operations and their use of social media, Sept. 5, 2018. Twitter said Sept. 6 that it was permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Jones and his “Infowars” show for abusive behavior.

NEW YORK —

Twitter is permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars show for abusive behavior.

The company said Jones wouldn't be able to create new accounts on Twitter or take over any existing ones. Twitter said Jones posted a video on Wednesday that violated the company's policy against "abusive behavior.''

The video in question showed Jones shouting at and berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes between two congressional hearings focused on social media. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testified at both hearings, but did not appear to witness the confrontation.

Jones had about 900,000 followers on Twitter. Infowars had about 430,000.

Twitter had previously suspended Jones for a week, but until now it had resisted muzzling Jones further. Other tech companies have limited Jones by suspending him for longer periods, as Facebook did, and by taking down his pages and radio stations.

Jones heckled Darcy in a public hallway where reporters were waiting to enter the House committee room. He criticized the journalist's reporting and appearance, referencing his "skinny jeans'' and repeatedly saying, "Just look at this guy's eyes'' and "Look at that smile.''

At one point, he said Darcy was "smiling like a possum that crawled out of the rear end of a dead cow. That's what you look like. You look like a possum that got caught doing some really nasty stuff — in my view. You're a public figure, too.''

Darcy has aggressively questioned social media companies about the forbearance they showed Jones, asking why they have allowed him to remain on their platforms for as long as they have.

Jones is currently active on Facebook; his suspension there recently expired.

Original Article