Following Wednesday’s destructive and seditious actions of insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol building, Bay Area tech giants are taking action to combat the spread of violent rhetoric and misinformation online. Over the past 24 hours, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitch and Instagram have each announced bans on President Donald Trump’s respective social accounts for spreading disinformation and encouraging violence in the wake of recent events.
On Wednesday, as Congress convened to certify the results of the November presidential election, Trump held a rally that later led to an angry mob appearing to be his supporters raiding the nation’s capitol. As news of the chaos spread online, celebrities and activists alike called for a permanent ban on Trump’s social accounts.
“We’ve been calling for this since 2017 and now Twitter must follow through,” Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, an Oakland-based civil rights advocacy nonprofit, said in a tweet. “This shows why we need structural reform and accountability for tech platforms. Facebook, YouTube, other platforms, are you finally ready to step up and remove Trump? He doesn’t deserve another chance.”
YouTube removed a video by Trump uploaded on Wednesday. In the one-minute clip, the president told his supporters to go home while continuing to insist the election had been “fraudulent.” He referred to the rioters as “very special” people.
YouTube said it would allow other copies of the clip to remain up “if uploaded with additional context and sufficient educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic (EDSA) value.”
Twitter initially restricted the same video, adding new labels that warned the clip posed a “risk of violence.” Later, the company removed it, along with at least two other tweets from the president. Additionally, the company locked the president out of his account for 12 hours.
Twitter has previously come under fire for verifying the accounts of white supremacists like Jason Kessler, David Duke and Richard Spencer. Duke and Kessler’s accounts have since been removed while Spencer’s account remains active sans blue check. In a Wednesday tweet, Robinson pointed out that Twitter and others are still offering a platform for these extremists.
“They’ve seen what it can lead to when they are allowed to organize and radicalize. It’s time to deplatform them once and for all,” Robinson tweeted and then continued: “I’ve sat in meetings to push these tech executives and their staff to take this seriously and heard nothing but excuses. This doesn’t hurt them or their bottom line but they cannot be let off the hook for their role in this.”
In addition to Wednesday’s video removal, YouTube announced Thursday that it’s going to suspend any channels posting new videos of false voter fraud claims, rather than giving them a warning as was its previous policy.
Falling in line with actions taken by Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, CEOs from several other Bay Area tech mainstays issued statements condemning Wednesday’s violence in the nation’s capital.
“Our leaders must call for peace and unity now. There is no room for violence in our democracy. May the One who brings peace bring peace to our country,” Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce, tweeted.
In another tweet, Apple CEO Tim Cook also had strong words for the historic event, calling it a “sad and shameful chapter in our nation’s history.”
“Those responsible for this insurrection should be held to account, and we must complete the transition to President-elect Biden’s administration. It’s especially when they are challenged that our ideals matter most,” Cook continued.
In an email to staff on Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai referred to the scene in Washington, D.C., as both shocking and scary.
“Holding free and safe elections and resolving our differences peacefully are foundational to the functioning of democracy.... The lawlessness and violence occurring on Capitol Hill [yesterday] is the antithesis of democracy and we strongly condemn it,” Pichai said.
Some activists believe these actions don’t go far enough. For now, Robinson believes Facebook’s decision to ban Trump from its platforms for at least two weeks leading up to the inauguration is a step in the right direction.
“If anything this is another example of why we need new rules at Facebook and every other Big Tech company. We cannot allow our democracy and communities to be at the mercy of corporations that put growth and profit over everything else,” Robinson tweeted.
