Richard Spencer, popularizer of the term “alt-right” and aficionado of the German language has had his account reinstated on Twitter. Even though most believed that he had violated Twitter’s “hateful conduct” clause in the company’s Terms of Agreement, Richard Spencer was actually dislodged from the social media site for violating its policy against having multiple, overlapping accounts, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Spencer claimed that his other accounts, one for a think tank and another for his magazine, would be restored, a claim that was quickly rebuffed by Twitter. In their letter to him, they wrote that they would only allow one account to be reinstated and reiterated their standing policy:
“As referenced in our November 18, 2016 communication, creating serial and/or multiple accounts with overlapping use is a violation of the Twitter Rules (https://twitter.com/rules[twitter.com])…Please select one account for restoration; the others will remain suspended.”
Other noted members of the alt-right movement had their Twitter accounts disabled as well; among them, Pax Dickinson, Paul Town, Ricky Vaughn. Twitter was then accused of attempting to “purge” their website of untoward political views.
Questions of free speech and fairness all come to the forefront on this issue.
Many critics fail to understand that issues of free speech simply do not apply to a company like Twitter, which has every right to allow and disallow users to take advantage of their service. Free speech applied to government institutions or institutions that take money from the government, ensuring that people’s right to not be discriminated against fairly are taken seriously.
However, companies have the right to remove users that they feel violate their terms, with little or no reason. They also have the right to choose who they are represented by, such as in the case of Justine Sacco, who was fired from her job after posting this tweet:
“Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”
Especially considering that she worked for a PR firm, that firm has the right to be represented in the manner they choose. Similarly, Twitter has the right to disable accounts whenever they see fit.
The second issue that comes into play is the high-profile nature of the accounts that Twitter of removes. In the summer of the 2016, they removed provocateur Milo Yiannopolous from their service, after attacks on actress Leslie Jones, citing their harassment policy. Only time will tell if Twitter’s enforcement becomes more consistent, and if harassment at lower levels and from less prominent users will get the same kind of attention in the future.
Watch the clip below for more info about the accounts suspected by Twitter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCUm95YUkHc
Featured Image via Notey.
