Twitter suspends accounts associated with alt-right, hate speech

Twitter cracked down on alt-right accounts associated with hate speech Tuesday after facing years of criticism for standing by as some users violated the terms of service or actively harassed and trolled other users, USA Today reports.

"I am alive physically but digitally speaking there has been execution squads across the alt-right," one of the movement's leaders, Richard Spencer, said in a video after his account was suspended. Spencer also runs an alt-right think tank and online magazine that were also removed from Twitter, and had formerly possessed a verified personal account. "There is a great purge going on and they are purging people based on their views," he added, deeming the process "corporate Stalinism."

Spencer had promoted the removal of blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and Jews from the U.S. Many in the alt-right movement embrace white nationalism and have used Twitter and Facebook for organizing or as forums for unchecked conversations.

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Twitter also rolled out new tools Tuesday that allow users to curate the kind of content that comes into their feed by muting certain words or phrases, hashtags, emojis, or handles.

The Southern Poverty Law Center had formerly asked Twitter to remove 100 accounts of white supremacists but until Tuesday noted that "they have done nothing." Twitter declined to comment on the sweeping suspensions, citing company policy.