Silicon Valley is getting tougher on Trump and his supporters over hate speech and disinformation

Washington Post logoBut civil rights activist and other critics say Facebook and other tech companies are still too timid

The nation’s technology industry has begun taking a harder line against hate speech, misinformation and posts that potentially incite violence when made by President Trump and some of his most extreme supporters after years of treating such issues gingerly for fear of triggering the wrath of the nation’s most powerful politician.

The moves, such as labeling false posts by Trump and banishing forums devoted to supporting him after years of policy violations, have taken place across the industry in recent weeks, with actions by Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitch.

Even Facebook, which long has given wide latitude in allowing problematic posts by Trump and his followers, on Wednesday closed down a network of more than 100 accounts and pages affiliated with Trump confidante and felon Roger Stone. The action came years after his use of social media first came under the scrutiny of federal investigators and involved issues dating back to 2015 that the company said it had unearthed only recently. Continue reading.

Reddit bans The_Donald forum as part of major hate speech purge

Axios logoReddit says it is banning its controversial subreddit channel r/The_Donald, one of the company’s largest political communities and a longstanding hub of support for President Trump, along with 2,000 other subreddit groups and users that violate new content policies aimed at hate speech.

Why it matters: Reddit becomes the latest social media platform, in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests, to take action against Trump or his supporters for violating rules or misleading users.

What they’re saying: In a conversation with reporters, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said that the company tried everything it could to avoid outright banning The_Donald subreddit channel for years, but the group continued to violate the site’s content policies. Continue reading.

Anti-Trump Reddit user falsely identified as Jacksonville mass shooter by right-wing media outlets

The following article by Chauncey Alcorn was posted on the Mic.com website August 28, 2018:

At least seven pro-Trump media personalities and outlets falsely identified an anti-Trump Reddit user as the mass shooter who attacked a Madden NFL video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, over the weekend.

Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich and Daily Caller contributor Ian Miles Cheong tweeted out false reports Sunday accusing a Minnesota Reddit user named Pavel, 23 — who declined to give his last name, but goes by “ravenchamps” on Reddit — of being David Katz, the 24-year-old gamer from Baltimore who allegedly killed two people and injured 10 more Sunday before killing himself.

“Bitch Boy was a diehard Trump hater, as his Reddit account shows,” Cheong tweeted.

View the complete article here.