Twitter suspends hundreds over #DCBlackout hoax:
Twitter has suspended hundreds of accounts for spreading claims about a Washington DC "blackout" which never happened.
Amid widespread civil unrest in the US, thousands of tweets using the #DCBlackout hashtag claimed that communications had been blocked in the capital to cripple protests.
But there was no evidence of this.
Twitter also said it had banned an account for inciting violence while impersonating a protest group.
The #DCBlackout hashtag trended on Twitter on Monday, with millions of tweets and retweets claiming that internet and phone communications were cut late in the night as the protests continued.
But reporters covering the protests had no such problems, and Twitter collated several of their tweets into a prominent link in Twitter's main website sidebar. An internet monitoring service also said there was no indication of any widespread disruption.
A Twitter spokesperson said the social media site had "suspended hundreds of spammy accounts" that used the #DCBlackout hashtag, citing the company's platform manipulation and spam policies.
[...] Prof Philip Howard from the Oxford Internet Institute said that while Twitter was taking action, conspiracy theories and polarising stories keep returning.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ilPapa on Wednesday June 03 2020, @06:03PM (5 children)
Congratulations on being the first non-Anonymous Coward to post in this story, after nine AC posts.
If you don't think the trollbots are out in force even in little internet backwaters like Soylent News, you're not paying attention. (When I say "you" I don't mean you, Roscoe)
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 03 2020, @06:07PM (2 children)
This site doesn't need trollbots, it's already deeply in trump/putin's pocket, given the amount of racism proudly on display, even from the staff.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 03 2020, @08:28PM
Well, in his ideological pocket, I highly doubt anyone on SN is getting paid for their drivel. If they are then I'm selling out! SHITPOST 4 LYFE!
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday June 03 2020, @10:23PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 03 2020, @08:18PM (1 child)
AC posts go up when it comes to politics - allow me to guess at a couple of reasons: I don't want passionate trolls dogpiling me posts to oblivion and filling it with responses of hate and personal attacks every time we post something because they disagreed with something I wrote 2 years previous. It's why I moved away from the green site. Another is, I don't trust our government. I'd be a complete and absolute fool to do so. If I can hide behind some kind of anonymous mask and make it *that* much more difficult to try me for thought-crimes in the future - I'm all for it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 03 2020, @10:27PM
It's just not worth it to jeopardize your future for some candid comment you make now that may lie outside the Overton Window 1, 5, 10, 20 years from now. The danger is not just from the government, but also from civilian mobs in the future.