Twitter suspends David Hogg (no, not that David Hogg)

Twitter suspends David Hogg (no, not that David Hogg)
David Hogg, David Hogg (Images via Twitter)

Where to begin? There is David James Hogg, 48, of Yankeetown, Fla.; David A Hogg, also 48, of Dallas; David E Hogg, 80, of Martinsburg, W. Va.,; and David L Hogg, 60, of Las Vegas.

In other words, “David Hogg” is a fairly common name, though only bearer has so far made a public spectacle of himself. That is the infamous 19-year-old from Parkland, Fla., who has been milking his Warholian fifteen minutes ever since a shooting occurred at his high school. He now attends Harvard (God knows why) and “broadcasts” from the Twitter account @davidhogg111:

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Another David Hogg, who tweets at @RealDavidHogg, is also young (18) and also beginning college. But that’s where the similarity ends. This David Hogg is a conservative and describes himself as “responsible for MY actions.”

He has been suspended from Twitter for violating its “impersonation” policy. Here, via a tweet by his mother, is the notice he received when he contacted the social media platform about the suspension:

A little further digging at Twitter’s Help Center reveals that “accounts with similar usernames or that are similar in appearance (e.g., the same profile image) are not automatically in violation of the impersonation policy. In order to violate our impersonation policy, the account must portray another entity in a misleading or deceptive manner.”

The advice goes on to state that “an account will not be removed if”:

  • The user shares your name but has no other commonalities, or
  • The profile clearly states it is not affiliated with or connected to any similarly-named individuals or brands.

RealDavidHogg seems to meet both of those conditions, so why has he been suspended?

It would be a cinch for Twitter to determine if RealDavidHogg was indeed really David Hogg and not an imitator by asking him to submit a copy of his birth certificate, though it’s not immediately obvious why this young man alone should be saddled with the inconvenience of proving he is who he says he is. A much simpler test in any case would be to ask each of the Hoggs if he once said that guns have more rights than women or proposed mandating health warning labels on guns. What person in his right mind would lay claim to either idiotic observation unless he had really made it?

LU Staff

LU Staff

Promoting and defending liberty, as defined by the nation’s founders, requires both facts and philosophical thought, transcending all elements of our culture, from partisan politics to social issues, the workings of government, and entertainment and off-duty interests. Liberty Unyielding is committed to bringing together voices that will fuel the flame of liberty, with a dialogue that is lively and informative.

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