Twitter censors Nazi account in landmark move

Not that I have a problem with Neo-Nazis being cleansed from the web, nevertheless, their right to free speech, just as mine, ought to be protected and upheld despite controversy. In fact, I believe the more Neo-Nazis are allowed to speak, the more ridiculous they will appear. Banning them from the web only makes them martyrs to their cause which is far more dangerous than letting them spew hate filled rants on Twitter. -Grant J. Kidney

Al Jazeera — Micro-blogging site Twitter said it had blocked a neo-Nazi group’s account at the request of German police, in what it called a global first for the company.

In a move pitting censorship concerns against national laws on hate speech, Twitter said on Thursday it had deployed the tool developed this year to comply with the request by the German authorities.

“We announced the ability to withhold content back in January,” Alex Macgillivray, Twitter’s chief lawyer, said in a tweet posted on the website.

“We’re using it now for the first time re: a group deemed illegal in Germany.”

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