The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Sunday praised Twitter after the social media platform announced that it suspended more than 300,000 accounts that have violated policies related to the promotion of terrorism.
Earlier this year, Twitter said it had suspended more than 125,000 accounts since mid-2015 for violating its prohibition on violent threats and the promotion of terrorism.
Last week, the social media announced that it has suspended an additional 235,000 accounts, a move hailed by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
“With this latest critical move, Twitter has really set the right tone in the fight against nefarious content on its platform. By suspending accounts that have regularly promoted terror and other deeply troubling content, Twitter has taken an important step forward in combating cyberhate," he said, in comments quoted by JTA.
Twitter, which has sought to strike a balance between free speech and security, has been under pressure to match the zero-tolerance policies of rivals like Facebook. Wired magazine recently reported that Twitter often serves as the "main engine" for the Islamic State (ISIS) to promote its cause and find new recruits.
In October 2014, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo stated that he and his staff had been personally threatened over the company’s shutdowns of accounts which promote terrorism. A month earlier, a Jerusalem-based cell of the ISIS threatened to kill Twitter employees and target its offices if the social media site does not stop closing down ISIS accounts.
More recently, Twitter shut down several accounts run by Hamas, leading the terrorist group to accusing Twitter of being biased in favor of Israel.