Controversial Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been suspended from Twitter for up to seven days. The suspension has put Jones into what Twitter describes as “read-only mode” preventing him from tweeting, liking or retweeting, but not removing his tweets or personal account from the social network. The Infowars Twitter account remains unaffected.
A Twitter spokesperson said the action was taken for tweets containing a video that was in violation of the company’s rules on abusive behaviour and inciting violence. Twitter instructed Jones to delete the tweets, which he has done. The New York Times reports that Jones tweeted a link to a video calling for supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready against media and others.
The move by the last remaining high-profile social network, from which Jones has yet to be permanently banned, comes after a tumultuous period in which Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey has had to repeatedly defend the company’s position. Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Apple banned Jones’s accounts and products from their various services on 6 August following the media backlash. Jones’s apps still remain available via Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store, however.(theguardian)…[+]