Alex Jones’ InfoWars Terms of Service Makes the Same Argument Companies Used to Ban Him
“It is not censorship if you violate the rules and your post is deleted,” InfoWars site reads
Jon Levine | August 7, 2018 @ 1:51 PM
Last Updated: August 7, 2018 @ 2:30 PM
Info Wars
Alex Jones’ InfoWars media brand has been banned from several social media and digital platforms this week over terms-of-service violations. But a look at InfoWars shows that the conspiracy focused website has many of the same regulations.
Deep within the site’s lengthy terms of service, InfoWars spells out its policies very clearly to potential contributors.
“We may review and delete any content you post on the Website or elsewhere utilizing our Services or System if we determine, in our sole discretion, that the content violates the rights of others, is not appropriate for the Website,” it reads.
“If you violate these rules, your posts and/or user name will be deleted. Remember: you are a guest here. It is not censorship if you violate the rules and your post is deleted. All civilizations have rules and if you violate them you can expect to be ostracized from the tribe.”
On Monday, Apple, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest all moved to effectively ban Jones and InfoWars. Mailchimp and YouPorn joined the club on Tuesday. Platforms cited “terms of service” violations to remove Jones and InfoWars.
“We have taken [Jones] down for glorifying violence, which violates our graphic violence policy, and using dehumanizing language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants, which violates our hate speech policies,” said Facebook in a statement.
YouTube said Monday, in part: “All users agree to comply with our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines when they sign up to use YouTube. When users violate these policies repeatedly, like our policies against hate speech and harassment or our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures, we terminate their accounts.”
Jones still has a toehold in the Apple App store and on Twitter, and Twitter has so far declined to take any action against him. InfoWars’ No. 2, Paul Joseph Watson, also largely escaped the purge. He still has millions of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter followers as of this writing.
“Apple, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube all completely banned InfoWars within 12 hours of each other, clearly suggesting big-tech collusion and proving that terms of service are all bulls–” he said. “This is political censorship. This is the purge.”
Trump's Relationship to Alex Jones: A Breakdown (Photos)
The recent backlash against Megyn Kelly and NBC for interviewing Alex Jones has renewed the spotlight on the host of conservative show "Info Wars." Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that she wanted to interview Jones because of his ties with President Donald Trump. Here's a breakdown of their relationship.
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Trump and Jones began a relationship on Trump's campaign trail, and have peddled some of the same conspiracy theories, according to Mother Jones. Perhaps Trump's most popular conspiracy theory is that President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States (he was), a theory also perpetuated by Jones.
NBC
In December 2015, Trump was a guest on Jones' show. Jones introduced Trump as "a maverick" who "tells it like it is." Jones opened the show by praising Trump for taking attacks from media outlets like the Washington Post and the New York Post. Jones theorizes that the attacks on 9/11 were a hoax; it was surprising that a Republican candidate would go on a show whose host postures that the previous Republican president was part of such an elaborate hoax.
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At a January 2016 campaign event, Trump called Jones "a nice guy."
InfoWars YouTube
In February 2016, senior policy advisor to Trump Stephen Miller appeared on "Info Wars," and repeatedly spoke to Jones' audience asking for support. "If you want to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership, if you want to close the border, if you want to protect American jobs and wages, then you have to support Donald J. Trump," Miller said.
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"Hillary for prison" became the rallying cry at the 2016 Republican National Convention. The phrase was initially found on merchandise on the "Info Wars" website. Jones was a "special guest" at the convention.
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Trump continued to parrot Jones' ideas. Last August, Jones said, "It is surreal to talk about issues here on air, and then word-for-word hear Trump say it two days later."
InfoWars
Also last August, Jones said on his show that he personally talked to Trump and encouraged him to push the idea that the election would be rigged. Trump did end up pushing this idea. "I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged. I have to be honest," Trump said at an Ohio campaign stop.
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In November 2016, Trump's advisor Roger Stone told the Washington Post that Jones would be a "valuable asset" to Trump.
InfoWars YouTube
After the election, Jones said in an "Info Wars" video that Trump called him to thank him. "I wanted to talk to you to thank your audience," Jones said the then-president-elect told him.
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Even Hillary Clinton weighed in on Trump's reliance on Jones for ideas throughout the campaign, and released an attack ad featuring Jones. "This is what Trump listens to," says the ad as Jones talks about chemicals put in the water to make people gay.
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Jones' website is full of references to "presstitutes," and discredits news organizations like NPR and CNN. Trump is known for discrediting several news organizations. For example, in February he called the media "the enemy."
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POTUS calls conspiracy theorist profiled by Megyn Kelly “a nice guy”
The recent backlash against Megyn Kelly and NBC for interviewing Alex Jones has renewed the spotlight on the host of conservative show "Info Wars." Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that she wanted to interview Jones because of his ties with President Donald Trump. Here's a breakdown of their relationship.