Twitter says it hasn't banned Alex Jones or Infowars because 'he hasn't violated our rules'

Just about every other big tech platform has removed the conspiracy theorist

InfoWars host Alex Jones makes statement on Chobani Yoghurt after getting into legal hot water (InfoWars)

Twitter will not suspend Alex Jones or Infowars because they have not broken any rules, its CEO has said.

Just about every other major technology company – including Apple, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify – have all acted to either completley ban or punish the controversial conspiracy theorist radio host. But Twitter says that his posts are not in contravention of any rules and so he will stay up.

That is despite Jones having used the platform to amplify his beliefs, which include claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting did not actually happen at all and that those mourning murdered loved ones were paid actors.

Jack Dorsey, the company's CEO, posted on Twitter that it had decided not to take the same decision as those other technology companies and that Jones's posts and accounts would stay on the website.

"We didn’t suspend Alex Jones or Infowars yesterday," Dorsey wrote. "We know that’s hard for many but the reason is simple: he hasn’t violated our rules. We’ll enforce if he does. And we’ll continue to promote a healthy conversational environment by ensuring tweets aren’t artificially amplified."

He admitted that Twitter had historically been bad at explaining its decisions. But he suggested this was not one of those decisions, and that he stood behind it.

"We’re going to hold Jones to the same standard we hold to every account, not taking one-off actions to make us feel good in the short term, and adding fuel to new conspiracy theories."

Instead he suggested that "journalists" should be in charge of disputing Jones's conspiracy theories and false stories, despite the fact they often pick up a huge following on Twitter itself.

"Accounts like Jones' can often sensationalize issues and spread unsubstantiated rumors, so it’s critical journalists document, validate, and refute such information directly so people can form their own opinions," Dorsey wrote in the series of posts. "This is what serves the public conversation best."

Twitter has been repeatedly criticised for its failure to censure far-right and even explicitly Nazi accounts, many of which are also used to post baseless conspiracy theories and accusations. While some similar accounts have been removed – including those belonging to Milo Yiannopoulos or Tommy Robinson – Twitter usually argues that those bans were done for breaking specific rules rather than the general tone of the account or its owners.