Another tech platform has closed the door on Infowars’ Alex Jones. Mail messaging platform MailChimp first confirmed the move in a statement to U.S. media watchdog Media Matters which said the accounts had been closed for “hateful conduct.” A MailChimp spokeswoman also confirmed it to TechCrunch via email.
In a statement MailChimp said it had terminated Infowars’ and Jones’ accounts for ToS violations — adding that while it doesn’t usually comment on individual account closures it was making an exception in this case.
“We don’t allow people to use our platform to disseminate hateful content,” it wrote, adding: “We take our responsibility to our customers and employees seriously. The decision to terminate this account was thoughtfully considered and is in line with our company’s values.”
There has been something of a domino effect among tech companies in recent weeks over what to do about Jones/Infowars, with Facebook, Apple and Google pulling content or shuttering Jones’ channels over ToS violations. Spotify, YouPorn and even Pinterest have also pulled his content for the same reasons. Although Twitter has not — saying Jones has not violated its rules.
Jones, a notorious conspiracy theorist, has peddled anti-truths on his own website for nearly two decades, but has raised his profile and gained greater exposure by using the reach of mainstream tech platforms and tools — enabling him to rabble rouse beyond a niche audience.
As well as spreading toxic disinformation on mainstream social networks, including targeting the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting by falsely claiming the massacre was an elaborate hoax, Media Matters notes that Jones has regularly encouraged violence — expounding an impending second U.S. civil war narrative in which he discusses killing minorities.
Jones is spinning the recent tech platform bans as a ‘censorship war’ on him, even as hosting companies continue to provide a platform on the internet for his website — where he continues to peddle his BS for anyone who wants to listen.
