After introducing a new set of community rules to clarify its policies around inappropriate content, Twitter has begun removing blue tick verification from racist accounts.
Released earlier this month, the rules outline how certain abusive, spam, or self-harm posts will be handled by the platform moving forward. Without diving too far into the specifics of these, Twitter has deemed a number of verified alt-right accounts to be promoting hate and as such, are now unverified.
https://twitter.com/passantino/status/930928522331222016
Noted white nationalist Richard Spencer is among the profiles targeted, having his blue tick swiftly removed and then complaining about not being allowed to be “proudly white”.
Verified no more! Is it not okay to be proudly White? 🤷🏻♂️
— Richard Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) November 15, 2017
Call me crazy, but I think the problem here is Richard’s ability to be incredibly racist, like referring to folks as “Basketball-Americans”.
When the UK bans me for things I think and say, and Poland threatens to do the same, Trump remains silent.
When some Basketball-Americans are rightfully arrested for stealing, Trump comes to their defense.
What a joke.https://t.co/aQpXcjaoWb
— Richard Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) November 15, 2017
Yeah, there’s your problem. Far-right English conservative Tommy Robinson has also lost his verification, calling it an attack on “the truth”.
https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/930934719876870144
The company has also promised to release another set of rules on November 22 that detail new policies surrounding hateful imagery, violent groups, and abusive usernames.
It’s encouraging to see the platform enforcing their rules and taking a stand against shitty online behaviour and hate-mongers. No one who preaches racist bullshit should be rewarded for their efforts, but clearly, some are just so blinded by their own trash to see that maybe it’s them who’re the problem.
Twitter just emailed me to tell me they are removing my “verified badge” because they claim my account “doesn’t comply with Twitter’s guidelines for verified accounts.”
Translation: I’m a conservative. pic.twitter.com/F1AsxWI6Fm
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) November 15, 2017
Uber, Lyft, and now Twitter. Maybe the problem isn’t them, it’s….you. Lol, you suck. https://t.co/tbuf9PGWuf
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 16, 2017
Good riddance, assholes.
