WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
Verify: Did Twitter did deem the Star of David "hateful imagery" and lock accounts for using it in their profile pictures?
ANSWER:
No. Some accounts were locked on suspicion of using the Nazi symbol of a yellow star, but those mistakenly locked were unlocked.
SOURCE:
PROCESS:
A viewer asked us to verify an article from World Net Daily – a site rated "questionable" by Media Bias Fact Check – claiming that Twitter was banning accounts for using images of the Star of David, citing them as "hateful imagery."
Twitter made a public statement soon after the claims spread online.
"We categorically do not consider the Star of David as a hateful symbol or hateful image. We have for some time seen the 'yellow star' or ‘yellow badge’ symbol being used by those seeking to target Jewish people," Twitter wrote.
The yellow badge they are referring to is the style of badge that Jews were forced to wear to signify their faith in Nazi Germany. Twitter said the way some people used the symbol violated their hateful conduct policy.
That's likely where this confusion started. Twitter says while the majority of cases were handled correctly, some accounts were locked by mistake, and they have since been restored.
So we can verify, no, Twitter does not consider the Star of David a hateful image.