Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) has permanently banned the accounts of right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and InfoWars for abusive behavior, a report by CNBC said. Jones live-streamed a rant at a CNN reporter on the Twitter-owned video service Periscope. Twitter said Jones, who has been banned or suspended by other major tech companies, was banished because of abusive behavior.
Today, we permanently suspended @realalexjones and @infowars from Twitter and Periscope. We took this action based on new reports of Tweets and videos posted yesterday that violate our abusive behavior policy, in addition to the accounts’ past violations. https://t.co/gckzUAV8GL
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) September 6, 2018
Twitter shares were down 1.28% to US$30.41.
READ: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies before US House Committee after Justice Department threatens investigation into Twitter and Facebook
Privately-held Uber Technologies Inc marked the one-year anniversary of chief executive Dara Khosrosshahi taking over by launching a raft of updates geared toward ensuring the safety of both riders and drivers during rides, a report in Recode said. "It’s all part of an effort to make Uber’s brand synonymous with safety," Khosrowshahi said, adding that "ultimately I think everyone wants to be safe. It’s table stakes, and we think that the table stakes should be raised.” Uber is pitching the focus on safety as a competitive advantage.
READ: Tesla loses its chief accounting officer and head of human resources; shares sink
China's retaliatory tax hike on cars imported from the US could spell trouble for second half profits of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), already under siege from turmoil in the C suite of the electric-car maker, a report in Seeking Alpha said. China is Tesla's second-largest sales region, accounting for 16% of global revenues over the past six quarters with an estimated 36% in gross margins, the report said. Non-US imported cars in China will pay a tariff of 15% versus 40% for Tesla, which could lead to massive disruption in Tesla's most profitable market in the world. When Hong Kong eliminated tax subsidies for electric vehicles in April 2017, the report said Tesla's sales went to zero that month.
Tesla shares fell 7% to US$261.30, having slid to the session low of US$252.26, down at that point by 10.21%.