Twitter axes 235,000 more accounts in terror crackdown

Twitter on Thursday announced that it has cut off
235,000 more accounts for violating its policies
regarding promotion of terrorism at the global one-
to-many messaging service.
The latest account suspensions raised to 360,000 the
total number of accounts sidelined since the middle
of 2015 and was helping “drive meaningful results”
in curbing the activity, according to the San
Francisco-based company.
Twitter has been under pressure to balance
protecting free speech at the service with not
providing a stage for terrorist groups to spread
violent messages and enlist people to their causes.
The latest account suspensions came since February
when Twitter announced that it had neutralised
125,000 accounts for violating rules against violent
threats and promotion of terrorism.
“Since that announcement, the world has witnessed
a further wave of deadly, abhorrent terror attacks
across the globe,” Twitter said in a blog post.
“We strongly condemn these acts and remain
committed to eliminating the promotion of violence
or terrorism on our platform.”
Daily suspensions of accounts are up more than 80
percent since last year, and spike in the immediate
aftermath of terror attacks, according to Twitter.
Twitter said that it is getting quicker at identifying
terrorist content and shutting down accounts
involved, resulting in dramatic decreases in the
number of followers attracted to while they are
active.
Moves have been made to make it tougher for
people behind suspended accounts to immediately
return to Twitter, and teams reviewing reports of
suspected terror content have been expanded.
– Legal shield –
A US judge last week tossed out a lawsuit accusing
Twitter of abetting terrorism by allowing Islamic
State propaganda to be broadcast using the
messaging platform.
District Court Judge William Orrick granted a
motion by Twitter to dismiss the case, reasoning
that providing a platform for speech is within the
law and that the company did not create the
content.
The Communications Decency Act protects online
platforms from being held responsible for what
users post.
The suit was filed in San Francisco federal court by
the families of two government contractors killed
late last year while working at a police training
centre run by the United States in Amman,
according to court documents.
A Jordanian police captain studying at the centre
shot the two men to death, and IS later claimed the
captain was a “lone wolf” working for the group’s
cause, the judge recounted in his ruling.

“As horrific as these deaths were, under the CDA
Twitter cannot be treated as a publisher or speaker
of ISIS’s hateful rhetoric and is not liable under the
facts alleged,” Orrick said in the decision.
The suit accused Twitter of providing “material
support” by letting accounts spread the message of
the extremist group.
The judge left open the option of refiling an
amended version of the suit.