NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on Twitter’s suspension of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones (all times local):
6 p.m.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says he is rethinking “core parts” of the social media platform.
On Tuesday, Twitter restricted right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for a week, giving him a time-out that is well short of a ban.
Dorsey told the Post he’s experimenting with features that would address misinformation and “echo chambers” on Twitter. He also acknowledged that with fewer resources than Facebook or Google, Twitter has to make difficult decisions when it comes to safety.
Choosing to invest in one thing, he says, “comes at a cost of not doing something else.”
Next month, Dorsey faces a Senate hearing about Russian elections interference ahead of this year’s midterms, alongside executives from Google and Facebook.
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11:30 a.m.
Twitter is joining other prominent tech companies in muzzling Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist who’s used the tech services to spread false information.
Twitter had been resisting the move despite public pressure, including some from its own employees. But the holdout lasted less than two weeks.
Late Tuesday, Twitter said it suspended Jones’ personal account for seven days because he violated the company’s rules against inciting violence. Jones won’t be able to tweet or retweet, though he will be able to browse Twitter.
This punishment is light compared with Apple, YouTube and Spotify, which permanently removed material Jones had published. Facebook, meanwhile, suspended him for 30 days and took down four of his pages, including two for his “Infowars” show. Infowars still has a Twitter account.
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