Twitter executives have permanently banned well-known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website InfoWars from both Twitter and Periscope.

Announced on Twitter’s safety account on Thursday, it was stated that the ban was prompted by “reports of tweets and videos posted yesterday [Sept. 5] that violate our abusive behavior policy, in addition to the accounts’ past violations.” This is the latest strike on Jones’ social media platform, as Google+ and YouTube had also banned Jones’ accounts from their respective sites.

Jones is one of the most polarizing political figures in American society. A far-right conspiracy theorist, he founded InfoWars in 1996 and has used his platform to make outrageous claims against the U.S. government and the media. In the past, he has claimed that the federal government was behind both the 9/11 attacks and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings. His most barbaric and, frankly, disgusting claim is that Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre in 2012 was a government hoax in order to gain support for future anti-gun laws.

Jones is known for his publicity stunts as well, the latest being the final straw for Twitter. In response to Google and YouTube banning his primary ac- counts, Apple taking the InfoWars app off of its store and account suspensions from Pinterest, LinkedIn, Vimeo and Spotify, he essentially bit the hand that decided not to feed him anymore or as much. He sat and watched Twitter and Facebook executives Jack Dorsey and Sheryl Sandberg testify to the U.S. Senate on what measures their platforms have taken to prevent the promotion of fake news. He be- rated Republican Senator Marco Rubio, calling him a “frat boy,” a “snake” and a “little gangster thug,” despite the fact

that they should be on the same team. The worst of his confrontations was with CNN reporter Oliver Darcy, whom Jones insulted and called a “monster.”

Jones has never been afraid of saying what he thinks needs to be said or what he thinks the truth is. He has far-right-wingers enraptured as he delivers his daily propaganda about how liberals are feminizing society by poisoning our water and how the media is “shadow banning” Republicans on social media by hiding certain content. In regards to his Twitter and Periscope accounts being banned, he claims that, “I was taken down not because we lie, but because we tell the truth.”

This is the part where we enter the never-ending, gray-area argument between First Amendment rights and the push to end hate speech through censorship. The first problem with Jones’ belief that he is being censored is that there is a difference between saying what one believes to be true, like claiming that Republicans are getting squeezed out by Democrats, and what is just simply abusive, like calling Marco Rubio a “little gangster thug” or when he called out to his supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready against the media and others.

It is important to recognize that even though Jones was exercising his right to say what he said on Twitter, it went against Twitter’s policy. Therefore, Twitter had every right to close his accounts. Social media sites, like Twitter, are not the places to promote such material. The purpose of the website is to create a place where people can interact with each other and connect on positive levels. If Jones did not like that, then he should have read the terms of service.

He claimed that he constantly looks for the truth and only states the truth, but finding truth in most of his claims is like finding a needle in a haystack. Even if there was any small amount of truth from his statements, it did not be come from him. To Jones, the truth is irrelevant. What matters is that his viewers believe everything that he says without needing a shred of evidence. It is exactly what all prominent conspiracy theorists would do: give out broad statements that create fear and paranoia.

Jones was smart enough to capitalize on that paranoia by creating InfoWars Life, his brand that features items from coffee blend to water filters (for the poisoned/feminized water, of course) to primarily nutraceuticals. Jones uses InfoWars Life to fund his website, as he commonly claims to his viewers that money is a constant problem for the site and is barely surviving day to day. Yet, he owns multiple Rolex wrist watches. This is quite the hypocrisy coming from someone like him.

For Jones, the only thing that matters to him is maintaining a platform to make outrageous claims and profit off them. Twitter, along with the other aforementioned companies, has reduced this platform substantially. At the end of the day, Jones will still manage with his loyal viewers or just anyone with a curious eye. His website averages over 1.5 million visits per day, according to WorthofWed.com. He does not need people in the public eye to support his cause, which allows him to attack those in that sphere. Jones will be fine, just as long as he does not piss off his paranoid fanbase.