In the latest escalation of its efforts to police harassment, Twitter has begun issuing bans to a number of extremist accounts. The new policies target accounts that are associated with hate groups, or that promote violence. Banned accounts include the American Nazi Party (yes, unfortunately there is such a thing), the white supremacist Traditionalist Worker Party, and the pro-confederate League of the South. Elected and military officials appear to be immune, at least for the time being; Twitter is making an exception for government-associated accounts. “We’re making these changes to create a safer environment for everyone,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Wall Street certainly approved of Twitter’s hate-account purge. The company’s stock rose by 8% in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. Twitter’s share price reached as high as $24.12 – its highest mark of 2017.
