Amazon's Twitch, Reddit Ban Trump Related Content And Forums

Amazon Inc’s AMZN Twitch, a live-streaming service, and Reddit, an online discussion platform, have banned channels and forums related to President Donald Trump, citing hate speech.

What Happened

Twitch’s temporary ban was stirred by a stream that included footage from the rally, where Trump said that Mexico was sending rapists to the United States, as well as other content. 

A Twitch spokesperson told the Verge, “Like anyone else, politicians on Twitch must adhere to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. We do not make exceptions for political or newsworthy content, and will take action on content reported to us that violates our rules.”

On Monday, Reddit shut down the r/The_Donald, a forum frequented by the supporters of the president. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said that users promoting hate would not be allowed on the platform. He said Reddit was banning 2,000 subreddits, of which the majority are inactive.

A Trump campaign spokesperson urged supporters to download the campaign app and “to hear directly from the president.”

Why It Matters

The r/The_Donald forum has 7,780 daily active users, reported Reuters. 

On Sunday, the president shared a video of his supporters chanting “white power” on Twitter Inc’s TWTR platform and then subsequently deleted it. 

Twitter has labeled and restricted several of Trump’s tweets due to reasons such as “misinformation” and  “inciting violence.” 

Earlier this month, Facebook Inc FB removed advertisements from the Trump campaign that contained Nazi-era symbols.

Facebook is facing growing calls to stop hate speech on its social networking websites. The company is facing a sustained advertising boycott, which is growing in momentum. 

Price Action

Amazon shares traded 0.47% higher at $2,693.10 in the after-hours session on Monday. The shares had closed the regular session 0.46% lower at $2,680.38.