UPDATE: Twitter suspends Steven Crowder's account for 7 days without explanation, then vaguely cites 'civic integrity' violations
'Behold, the modern public square!'
March 09, 2021
Image Source: YouTube screenshot
Serving as just the latest example of Big Tech's targeting of conservatives, Twitter has suspended the account of popular BlazeTV host Steven Crowder for at least one week without explanation.
What are the details?
Crowder confirmed the suspension to TheBlaze Tuesday afternoon. He noted that he had been locked out of his account since Tuesday morning and added that the company never informed him as to why it took the action against him.
"No idea why Twitter locked me out, as in the allotted category (wherein they would include said information) was left blank," he told TheBlaze, adding, "Behold, the modern 'public square!'"
TheBlaze reached out to Twitter seeking an explanation for the suspension and received this vague, non-descriptive reply, on Wednesday night: "The account referenced was temporarily locked for multiple violations of our Civic Integrity Policy."
In follow-up emails with Crowder's team, TheBlaze learned that Twitter had issued at least two (possibly three) separate bans for undisclosed violations starting on Mar. 9.
In emails to Crowder, the tech company simply stated, "You're account, @scrowder has been locked for violating Twitter rules" and added, "Please note that repeated violations may lead to a permanent suspension."
Curiously, the section where an explanation would be given, shown below under the subhead, "Specifically for:," is left blank.
Appearing on his Crowder's show Thursday, the host's lawyer, Bill Richmond, reported that he had still not received specific information from Twitter regarding which content was the offending content. He also explained that the suspension's duration was increased several times without explanation.
Richmond added that all options are on the table in terms of seeking recourse against the tech company, including legal action.
What else?
Crowder, who has frequently criticized modern Big Tech monopolies such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for their unabashed censorship and suppression of conservative voices, was suspended from Twitter for about 12 hours last month reportedly for alleging instances of voter fraud.
The conservative political commentator has characterized Big Tech censorship as one of the most important issues facing the country.
While it is not known whether this incident is connected to the suspension, on Monday, Crowder reposted a 5-year-old video on his Twitter account in recognition of International Women's Day. In the video, he dresses up as a transgender woman and goes to exercise at a Planet Fitness — setting off the "lunk alarm" twice for dropping weights.
The video reportedly sparked some outrage on the platform.
Twitter is not the only Big Tech platform that has censored and suppressed Crowder. YouTube has reportedly manipulated its search algorithm to bury content from Crowder's channel, despite the fact that the channel boasts more than 4 million subscribers and videos with tens of millions of views. Then, in February, Crowder's team announced that they had filed a lawsuit against Facebook over "unfair competition, fraud, false advertising, and antitrust" violations.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include more information about the suspension and a response from a Twitter spokesperson.