Twitter, Following Facebook, Reportedly Bans Holocaust Denial

Topline

Twitter on Wednesday said the company will remove posts that deny the Holocaust, Bloomberg reported, days after Facebook, in a major reversal, also banned Holocaust denialism.

In this photo illustration an icon of Twitter app displayed on a smartphone.

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Key Facts

A Twitter spokesperson told Bloomberg it will remove posts that attempts to “deny or diminish” violent events such as the Holocaust.

Though Twitter doesn’t have a specific policy about Holocaust denial like Facebook, the company is interpreting its Hateful Conduct Policy to include it.

Twitter’s policy appears to apply to other genocides too, which is more expansive than Facebook’s narrow policy that only applies to the Holocaust.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Crucial Quote

“We strongly condemn anti-semitism, and hateful conduct has absolutely no place on our service. We also have a robust ‘glorification of violence’ policy in place and take action against content that glorifies or praises historical acts of violence and genocide, including the Holocaust,” the spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Key Background

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement on Monday made waves because he previously defended allowing Holocaust denial on the platform. In explaining the reversal, Zuckerberg said his thinking has evolved and cited a “well-documented rise in anti-Semitism globally” as well as a recent survey that found nearly half of millenials and Generation Z also witnessed Holocaust denial or distortion on social media.