Top 10 People Who Got Banned From Social Media
#10: Milo Yiannopoulos
This far-right activist and writer is known primarily for his time with Breitbart. He has been embroiled in numerous controversies and has been called everything under the sun, including misogynistic, Islamophobic, and racist, and he worked alongside white nationalists during his time at Breitbart. Following numerous suspensions, Yiannopoulos was permanently banned from Twitter in 2016 for “inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others.” This is largely linked to his horrible public treatment of actress and comedian Leslie Jones. Three years later, he and many others were booted from Facebook for “[engaging] in violence and hate.”
#9: Patrick Little
You know it’s bad when someone gets banned from a far-right network. Gab is a social network that is known for hosting the likes of white nationalists, QAnon, and neo-Nazis. It’s marketed for those who wish to openly discuss the topics that are largely discouraged on the mainstream networks. In 2018, Patrick Little ran a failed Senate campaign. He was also banned from Gab for publicly advocating for the inflicting of pain and suffering on and the mass killing of Jews. Little is a famous Holocaust denier, and he also threatened to destroy a monument dedicated to the tragedy. This hateful rhetoric was even too much for Gab and they gave him the boot.
#8: Gavin McInnes
There was a time when Gavin McInnes was a promising young adult. He co-founded the magazine Vice when he was just 24, but his political opinions turned increasingly hostile and he left the organization in 2008. He then became a podcaster and political commentator known for his far-right stance. He is also the founder of Proud Boys, a male organization with neo-fascist ties. Perhaps unsurprisingly, McInnes has been banned from pretty much every platform possible, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. In McInnes’s opinion, he has been the target of “lies and propaganda” meant to silence his voice.
#7: Louis Farrakhan
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Many people have been banned for hate speech, including far-right YouTube personality Paul Joseph Watson. But perhaps the most prominent ban for hate speech belongs to Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam. Known as a black nationalist organization, Nation of Islam and Farrakhan have been criticized for spouting various hate sentiments. He has not only been accused of advocating anti-white beliefs, but he has also been pegged as a homophobe, antisemite, and conspiracy theorist. In May of 2019, Farrakhan was permanently banned from Facebook for proclaiming antisemitic remarks. The Nation of Islam has long been accused of being an antisemitic organization.
#6: Laura Loomer
A far-right political activist, Laura Loomer has worked for various controversial organizations, including The Rebel Media and InfoWars. Much of her work has been criticized for containing misinformation, extremist attitudes, and racist anti-Muslim opinions. Loomer’s public beliefs have gotten her banned from basically every service under the sun. She has been deplatformed by the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Clubhouse. She has been prohibited from using various payment networks, including PayPal, Venmo, and GoFundMe. She has even been banned from Uber and Lyft after making numerous racist remarks about their drivers on Twitter. This is just one of those people who live for controversy and attention.
#5: Myanmar Officials
Back in August of 2018, Facebook made internet history by banning numerous Myanmar military officials. According to a Facebook spokeswoman, this was the first time that the company had banned a country’s military leaders. This ban immediately followed a United Nations report that claimed the Myanmar government was partaking in various genocidal acts against the local Rohingya people. Owing to the “hate and misinformation” that was spouted by the country’s military accounts, executives took action and banned them from both Facebook and Instagram. This historical ban included the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, General Min Aung Hlaing.
#4: Mike Enoch
The founder of The Right Stuff and host of The Daily Shoah podcast, Mike Enoch is a prominent neo-Nazi. Both he and his website have long been accused of harboring hateful views, including dangerous conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial, antisemitisim, and white nationalism. Born Michael Peinovich, Enoch was personally asked by his own father to change his surname owing to his controversial opinions. Back in 2018, Enoch disseminated a conspiracy theory on Twitter, and his words were retweeted by popular media pundit Ann Coulter. This helped popularize the unpopular Enoch, and Twitter suspended his account. The account in question is no longer active.
#3: Marjorie Taylor Greene
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene was elected as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021. However, her political career has long been marred in controversy. She has publicly advocated for the execution of Democrats, and she long spouted nonsense conspiracy theories and dangerous far-right ideals. She has been very outspoken about COVID safety measures, and it eventually came back to bite her. Greene had been repeatedly suspended for sharing COVID misinformation, and after tweeting a misleading graph, she was permanently suspended for “repeated violations of [the] COVID-19 misinformation policy.” According to the policy, bans result after four different warnings and suspensions.
#2: Alex Jones
This radio show host is easily one of the most controversial public figures of our day. Think of the stereotypical alt-right conspiracy theorist, and you have Alex Jones. He is the owner of InfoWars and a believer in conspiracy theories ranging from the moon landing to Sandy Hook. Jones has long battled social media and the public for his problematic views. Virtually every platform has removed Jones’s harmful content and banned him from their services, including Spotify, Facebook, and YouTube. Even more niche services like Vimeo and Stitcher Radio have removed Jones’s content, and he is prohibited from using the likes of PayPal and LinkedIn. No one wants him, and for good reason.
#1: Donald Trump
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Social media played an enormous role in the presidency of Donald Trump. Unlike many prominent public figures - especially those in politics - it was obvious that Trump was writing his own tweets. Furthermore, many of his tweets were either made into memes (covfefe, anyone?) or used as arguments against his policies and viability as President. Beginning in May of 2020, Trump’s tweets were regularly fact-checked owing to his consistently misleading claims. Following the Capitol attack of January 2021, all of Trump’s social media accounts were taken offline and Trump himself was banned from using the services. It’s certainly a fitting conclusion to his chaotic presidency.
