[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #606: Alex Jones is losing social media platforms, fast

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OPLIN 4Cast #606: Alex Jones is losing social media platforms, fast
August 8th, 2018

[image: rubber stamp banned] Late Sunday evening, Apple removed Alex Jones'
Infowars podcasts
<https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnpaczkowski/apple-is-removing-alex-jones-and-infowars-podcasts-from>
from its iTunes and Podcasts library; Facebook and YouTube quickly followed
in line (as did Spotify, MailChimp
<https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/08/07/alex-jones-shows-document-saying-hes-also-been-removed-mailchimp/220922>,
Pinterest
<https://news.avclub.com/btw-alex-jones-also-got-kicked-off-of-pinterest-and-yo-1828162783>,
etc.). The spotlight is on Twitter, which stands as the last social media
platform
<https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/06/twitter-infowars-isnt-currently-violating-our-policies/>
giving Jones a voice. Jones is a conspiracy theorist who grew *InfoWars*
from talk-radio and public-access programs into a media empire consisting
of websites, subscription video, and various sales ventures, including
T-shirts and dietary supplements
<http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/05/how-does-alex-jones-make-money.html>.
*InfoWars* content is generally described as far-right fake news, and the
out-cry against it has been growing for weeks.

As of post time, Twitter still has not banned Jones' account, arguing
<https://twitter.com/jack/status/1026984242893357056> that he hasn't
violated their rules.

   -
   - YouTube, Facebook, and Apple’s ban on Alex Jones, explained
   <https://www.vox.com/2018/8/6/17655658/alex-jones-facebook-youtube-conspiracy-theories>
   [*Vox*] "To be clear, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, and Apple are all
   private companies, and legally have the right to ban any entity from their
   platforms, including Jones."
   - Why Big Tech's Fight Against InfoWars Is Unwinnable
   <https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-youtube-ban-infowars-but-invite-new-headaches/>
   [*Wired*] "The question was never really whether Jones had violated
   Facebook's policies—or YouTube's, for that matter—but whether the companies
   would ever fully enforce those policies at the risk of breaking their
   promise of radical openness."
   - Apple and Google haven’t banned Infowars apps, and their downloads are
   booming
   <https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/7/17660564/apple-google-infowars-app-ban-downloads>
   [*The Verge*] "The Infowars app was flooded with five-star reviews
   championing the idea of free speech, with titles like 'Infowars WILL NOT be
   silenced.'"
   - A Better Way to Ban Alex Jones
   <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/opinion/alex-jones-infowars-facebook.html>
    [*New York Times*] "The good news is that tech companies don’t have to
   rely on vague, malleable and hotly contested definitions of hate speech to
   deal with conspiracy theorists like Mr. Jones. The far better option would
   be to prohibit libel or slander on their platforms."

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Woodruff, Betsy. "Falsely Accused Parkland School Shooter Sues Alex
   Jones' Infowars for Defamation
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=128849950>
   ." *Daily Beast (New York)*, 02 Apr. 2018, p. 15.
   - Jenkins, Aric. "Infowars' Alex Jones Apologized for His 'Pizzagate'
   Coverage. He Blamed Other Media for It
   <http://proxy.oplin.org:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=122469621&site=ehost-live>
   ." *Fortune.Com*, 25 Mar. 2017, p. 1.
   - Warburton, Nigel. "Free speech in the age of the Internet
   <https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199232352.003.0005>." *Free Speech:
   A Very Short Introduction*, Oxford, 2009. 15 Nov. 2016, p. 81-95.

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