YouTube bans Trump

The US President says YouTube, Twitter and Facebook will face a ‘counter move’, after they banned him for inciting violence.

Conspiracy theorist QAnon demonstrators protest child trafficking on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California in August last year. Picture: AFP

Hello and welcome to The Download, The Australian’s technology blog for the latest tech news.

David Swan 4pm: Trump banned from YouTube

YouTube has joined the likes of Facebook and Twitter in suspending US President Donald Trump, saying he would be banned for at least one week, and potentially longer, after his account breached the company’s policies.

It’s understood YouTube has removed a video from Mr Trump’s YouTube account it said incited violence.

The company will revisit its decision after one week.

“After careful review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence,” a spokesman said. “As a result, in accordance with our long-standing strikes system, the channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or livestreams for a minimum of seven days—which may be extended.”

David Swan 3.30pm: Big tech ‘dividing the country’

Big tech companies are dividing the US according to President Donald Trump, who has attacked the likes of Twitter and Facebook in a speech, the first since he was banned from their platforms for encouraging an attack on the US Capitol building.

Mr Trump said the companies had made a “terrible mistake” and said there would be a “counter move” to their actions, without elaborating on what such a move would entail.

The Twitter account of US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP)

“I think that Big Tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country, and I believe it’s going to be a catastrophic mistake for them. They’re dividing and divisive,” Mr Trump told reporters at the start of a trip to Texas.

A far-reaching band of tech companies including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon all suspended or banned Mr Trump from their platforms last week, citing a potential for continued violence.

As a result, conservative users are flocking to alternative platforms.

10.20am: Zoom aims to raise $US1.5bn

Zoom Video Communications plans to raise $US1.5 billion through what would be its largest stock offering since its trading debut in 2019.

The San Jose, Calif.-based company, whose videoconferencing platform has become a pandemic essential, on Tuesday also said it expects to grant its underwriter a 30-day option to buy up to an additional $US225 million of Class A shares at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.

Founded in 2011, Zoom raised $US447.9 million in net proceeds through its initial public offering, according to one of its quarterly filings in 2019. Its shares rose 0.4pc Tuesday and have surged over the past year as homebound workers and students have been using the company’s services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Zoom founder Eric Yuan poses in front of the Nasdaq building. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Zoom’s global boost in popularity has put it at the center of a rivalry among larger technology companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc. that are pushing their services for managing daily life during the pandemic. Zoom in November posted a record $US772.2 million in quarterly sales and lifted its outlook.

Zoom has seen a large increase in its paying subscriber numbers during the pandemic. The company expects its free service to continue weighing on profitability, Zoom said in November. “With the uncertainty of the longevity of the pandemic, it is unclear how long gross margins will be impacted as we remain committed to supporting the global community,” Finance Chief Kelly Steckelberg said.

Dow Jones

Chris Griffith 7.00am: Twitter suspends 70,000 QAnon accounts

The social media clampdown after the Capitol Hill riot has continued with Twitter suspending more than 70,000 accounts and Amazon taking action to reduce e-commerce involving the group.

Twitter says it suspended “more than 70,000 accounts” linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory after the attack on the US Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters.

The Twitter account of US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP)

“Given the violent events in Washington, DC, and increased risk of harm, we began permanently suspending thousands of accounts that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon,” Twitter says in a blog post.

“Since Friday, more than 70,000 accounts have been suspended as a result of our efforts, with many instances of a single individual operating numerous accounts.”

Twitter however is not alone in this latest round of action against QAnon supporters who believe Mr Trump is waging a secret war against Satan-worshipping paedophiles in positions of power.

Facebook has said it is removing content mentioning “stop the steal”, the slogan used by Trump supporters claiming the November US election was rigged, to reduce the misinformation and risk of incitement of violence before president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Snap, Reddit, and Airbnb are among others reported to be taking steps that they say are necessary to reduce the likelihood of violence in coming days.

It seems increasing calls for technology companies to be held accountable as publishers has led to them taking a no risks approach, a blunt instrument deleting accounts of those they believe capable of violence rather than curating individual posts.

Amazon too is taking action, saying it is removing some QAnon products from its market place, again out of apparent concern that some merchandise could encourage violence.

Conservative social media platform Parler meanwhile is suing Amazon after Amazon Web Services forced it offline for failing to rein in posts encouraging violence. Parler has asked a federal court for a restraining order to block Amazon Web Services from cutting off access to internet servers.

“Shutting down the servers would be ‘the equivalent of pulling the plug on a hospital patient on life support,’ the lawsuit says. “It will kill Parler’s business — at the very time it is set to skyrocket.”

Amazon says there is “no merit” to the lawsuit. “We respect Parler’s right to determine for itself what content it will allow,” an AWS spokesman says. “However, it is clear that there is significant content on Parler that encourages and incites violence against others, and that Parler is unable or unwilling to promptly identify and remove this content, which is a violation of our terms of service.”

With AFP