Barred from Twitter since 2015, conservative activist Charles C. Johnson is suing the company in California state court for violating his free speech rights. Twitter banned Johnson after he used the site to urge viewers to “take out” a Black Lives Matter activist. (The Daily Dot, January 9, 2018, by David Covucci)
Johnson claims Twitter banned him for his political views but faces an uphill battle since Twitter is a private business and can ban accounts with impunity. It is also enjoys the protections of the First Amendment. (Mashable, January 8, 2018, by Kerry Flynn)
In December a Twitter vice president said the company could no longer claim to provide an uncensored free speech platform. Rather than rely on good speech to counter bad speech, Sinead McSweeney said hateful speech had to be countered more directly, “…we do have to take steps to limit the visibility of hateful symbols, to ban people from the platform who affiliate with violent groups — that’s the journey we’re on,”said McSweeney. (Business Insider, December 19, 2017, by Shona Ghosh)
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