Twitter Suspension Statistics 2012-2022

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Written by: Alex Popa

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Twitter Suspension Statistics 2012-2022

Twitter’s role as a social tool of communication and expression is undeniable, but controversy has always followed the platform throughout the years.

In this research, we analyzed the trend of Twitter suspensions over the years, examining statistics and data to get a clearer picture of the whole Twitter story.

Here are the most important stats about Twitter suspensions:

  • Approximately 497,000 Twitter accounts were suspended between October 27 and November 1, 2022, after Elon Musk’s takeover of the company
  • Between 2014 and 2016, Twitter began a “suspension campaign” against related and official ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), suspending 10,000 accounts in a single day
  • Between mid-2015 and February 2015, Twitter suspended over 125,000 ISIL-related accounts
  • Between July and December 2021, nearly 600,000 Twitter accounts were suspended for child exploitation
  • Between 2012 and 2021, approximately 14 million Twitter accounts were suspended
  • In 2019, over 7.8 million accounts were suspended
  • In the wake of the Capitol riots in 2021, more than 70,000 accounts were suspended, including that of then-U.S. President Donald Trump
  • Following Twitter’s takeover, Elon Musk reinstated the formerly suspended accounts of :
    • Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene
    • Psychologist Jordan Peterson
    • Satire site Babylon Bee
    • Comedian Kathy Griffin
    • Kanye West
    • Former President Donald Trump
  • A report by the European Union said that Twitter removed less harmful content in 2022 compared to 2021
  • In Twitter’s history, there were four very notable suspension-related incidents:
    • Actress Rose McGowan’s temporary 12-hour suspension after she tweeted about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged s3xual misconduct. Following her suspension, the “#WomenBoycottTwitter” movement gained traction
    • The “Fake Followers Purge” of 2018 when Twitter suspended a substantial number of users deemed fake follower accounts. This was partly influenced by the 2016 US elections when Russian trolls (fake follower accounts) started an interference campaign in the elections
    • Former President Donald Trump’s temporary and permanent ban following the 2021 US Capitol attack
    • The temporary suspension of journalists in 2022 after Elon Musk, Twitter’s new CEO, claimed that the journalists had “doxxed” his exact real-time location. Later, it was reported that the reporters had not reported his real-time location

Below, we’ll go over the last 7 Transparency Reports from Twitter, a yearly examination of suspension numbers, and the most notable suspensions over time.

Twitter Transparency Reports On Account Suspensions

Twitter published its first Transparency Report in 2012 and today, there are 20 such reports published. Each transparency Report covers a 6-month period, with two reports published per year.

Currently, only Transparency Reports 14 through 20 (July 2018 to December 2021) are publicly available on Twitter.

Reason for acc. suspension/content removalJul – Dec 2018Jan – Jun 2019Jul – Dec 2019Jan – Jun 2020Jul – Dec 2020Jan – Jun 2021Jul – Dec 2021
Child Exploitation456,989 acc. suspended244,188 acc. suspended256,768 acc. suspended438,809 acc. suspended464,804 acc. suspended453,754 acc. suspended596,997 acc. suspended
Terrorism Promotion166,513 acc. suspended115,861 acc. suspended86,799 acc. suspended90,684 acc. suspended58,750 acc. suspended44,974 acc. suspended33,693 acc. suspended
Change in Abuse/Harassment actioned accounts+22%+95%-34%+142%+8%-10%
Change in Violence actioned accounts-5%-48%+106%+82%-31%
Change in Hateful
Conduct
actioned accounts
+48%+54%-35%+77%-2%-19%
Change in Promoting suicide or self-harm actioned accounts+29%-49%+192%+83%+18%
Change in Sensitive media actioned accounts+37%+39%+15%+322%+131%-30%
Change in Illegal Goods
or Services
actioned accounts
60,807 accounts actioned-7%+83%+70%-28%
Change in Private Information actioned accounts+119%+41%+14%+67%-28%+11%
Change in Non-consensual Nudity actioned accounts+109%-48%+194%+9%-3%
Change in Civic Integrity actioned accounts+32%+37%+175%-91%-84%
Change in Impersonation actioned accounts124,339 accounts suspended+31%-28%+8%+54%-16% (169,396 accounts suspended)
Change in Healthcare Misleading Information actioned accounts4,658 accounts-27%+722%-14% (1,376 accounts suspended)
Change in accounts actioned (suspended or removed content)+105%+47%-16%+82%+36%-12%
Change in content removed+50%-33%+132%+32%-14%
Change in suspended accounts+27%+6%+9%+23%+2%

Over the years, there’s been a stark decrease in the suspension of terrorist-related accounts on Twitter (due to the lower number of such accounts), while the opposite was true for child exploitation-related accounts.

Number of Suspensions Per Year

Twitter suspended over 14 million accounts between 2012 and 2021 but let’s take a look at a year-by-year comparison in terms of account suspensions:

2012201320142015201620172018201920202021
<2,500 suspended accounts<2,500 suspended accounts<2,500 suspended accounts<2,500 suspended accounts5,000 suspended accountsClose to 7,500 accounts suspended1.5 million suspended accounts7.8 million suspended accounts1.9 million suspended accounts2.5 million suspended accounts

As you can see, the number of suspended accounts suffered a drastic uptick in 2019 when Twitter began a campaign against misinformation, platform manipulation, and content that violated its community guidelines.

Notable Suspensions Per Year

It’s time to take a look at some of Twitter’s most notable suspensions throughout the years. There are some interesting cases you’ll like!

This list will be updated with new entries whenever Twitter permanently bans another notable account.

2010 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Operation Payback (@Anon_Operation)Anonymous hacktivist campaign that supported online piracy and WikiLeaks8 December 2010Coordinated DDoS attacks against Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal

2011 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Courtney Love (@CourtneyLoveUK)American actress and musician7 January 2011Fashion designer Dawn Simorangkir filed a defamation suit against Courtney Love over tweets she had made on 17 March 2019
Anders Behring Breivik (@AndersBBreivik)Norwegian far-right terrorist responsible for the 20122 Norway attacks31 July 2011The Norwegian far-right terrorist’s Twitter account was hacked by Anonymous who claimed they’d delete it, prompting Twitter to suspend it permanently

2012 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
BILL NYE THO (@Bill_Nye_tho)Parody account19 September 2012Impersonated a public figure
Keemstar (@DJKEEMSTAR)American YouTuber10 October 2012Unknown

2013 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
HSM Press Office (@HSMPress)Al-Shabaab (militant group based in Somalia) account25 January 2013Made a public death threat against the Kenyan hostages to blackmail the Kenyan government to meet its demands
HSMPress
(@HSMPRESS1)
Al-Shabaab (militant group based in Somalia) account5 September 2013Threatened to kill the Somali president
HSM Press
(@HSM_Press)
Al-Shabaab (militant group based in Somalia) account21 September 2013Broadcasted their plans about the Westgate shopping mall attack
شبكة شموخ الإسلام
(@shomokhalislam)
Al-Qaeda account29 September 2013The first official account of Al-Qaeda
Pace Picante
(@Pace_Foods)
Spoof account2 December 2013Prank account made by comedian Randy Liedtke who pretended to be a Pace Picante employee named “Miles” and started messaging Kyle Kinane
@Anon_Central and 30 other accountsHacktivist accounts3 December 2013Aiming misogynist abuse at feminist campaigners

2014 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam BrigadesA military wing of Hamas11 January 2014Connected to the Hamas terrorist organization as classified by the US

2015 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Charles C. Johnson
(@ChuckCJohnson, @GotNewsDotCom,
@CitizenTrolling)
American alt-right blogger24 May 2015Violated Twitter’s rule of “participating in targeted abuse” after tweeting about “taking out” the civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson
@Jalibib Al-Jazrawi
(@s_2f)
ISIL member19 July 2015Made a death threat against Nasser Al Qasabi, a Saudi Arabian actor
Jared Fogle
(@thejaredfogle)
Subway spokesman21 August 2015Found guilty of performing indecent acts on minors, possessing child exploitation related material, and soliciting minors online
George Zimmerman
(@TherealGeorgeZ)
American individual responsible for killing Trayvon Martin3 December 2015Tweeted confidential information (including revenge p*rn) about an ex-girlfriend

2016 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Robert Stacy McCain
(@rsmccain)
American conservative writer25 February 2016Participated in targeted abuse
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam BrigadesA military wing of HamasMarch 2016Hamas’ alternate account that the organization created after Twitter suspended another of its accounts
Abu ObeidaAl-Qassam Brigades spokesperson15 April 2016Hamas’ alternate account that the organization created after Twitter suspended another of its accounts
Azealia Banks
(@AZEALIABANKS)
American rapper12 May 2016Made homophobic and racist remarks toward Zayn Malik
Milo Yiannopoulos
(@nero)
British alt-right political commentator and polemicist19 July 2016Insulted Leslie Jones, an action that coincided with a racist harassment campaign
Accounts of Radix Journal, National Policy Institute, John Rivers, Ricky Vaughn, and othersAlt-right accounts17 November 2016Banned after violating Twitter’s policy that prohibited the “inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others
Tila Tequila
(@AngelTilaLove)
American social media personality22 November 2016Made Neo-Nazi posts, which included a photo of herself and others making a Nazi salute during a National Policy Institute event
John Rivello
(@jew_goldstein)
Maryland Trump supporterDecember 2016Sent an epileptogenic GIF to a journalist suffering from epilepsy, Kurt Eichenwald

2017 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Martin Shkreli
(@martinshkreli)
American hedge fund manager7 January 2017Harassed journalist Lauren Duca
Daniel Sieradski
(@selfagency)
American activist and writer8 June 2017Official reason is unknown but Sieradski claims he was suspended for threatening Baked Alaska or publicly arguing with Courtney Love
Anthony Cumia
(@AnthonyCumia)
American broadcaster and radio personality11 July 2017Made a transphobic comment against “The A.V. Club” writer Katie Rife. Multiple accounts belonging to Anthony Cumia were later suspended
Sargon of Akkad
(@Sargon_of_Akkad)
Alt-right activist9 August 2017Unknown
@nemusismywifeJapanese man30 August 2017Made a death threat toward a dead mosquito
@themoodforluvAmerican woman7 September 2017Harassed Taylor Swift
Roger Stone
(@RogerJStoneJr)
American conservative lobbyist and conservative political consultant29 October 2017Harassed CNN journalists
Kamaal Rashid KhanIndian film critic and actor30 October 2017Unknown
Andrew Tate
(@cobratate)
Men’s rights activist31 October 2017Said that rape victims “bear some responsibility” for putting themselves in situations that led to the assaults
2,752 Russian troll accountsRussian troll accounts1 November 2017Accounts were linked to the Internet Research Agency belonging to Russia
Jenna Abrams
(@Jenn_Abrams)
Alt-right blogger2 November 2017Account was discovered to be a fictitious person that was operated by a Russian troll factory
Baked Alaska
(@bakedalaska)
Alt-right activist15 November 2017Posted a photoshopped image of Laura Loomer inside a gas chamber and repeated degrading content (racist and s3xist tropes, non-consensual slurs, epithets)
Pakistan Defence
Forum (@defencepk)
Forum for discussing the Pakistani’s armed forces19 November 2017Posting a doctored photo and fake news
Wael Abbas
(@waelabbas)
An Egyptian human rights activist, journalist, and blogger15 December 2017Unknown
Paul Golding
(@GoldingBF)
Leader of the Britain First fascist group18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause” that posted videos containing misleading captions that attributed violence to Muslims
Jayda Fransen
(@JaydaBF)
Deputy leader of the Britain First fascist group18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause” that posted videos containing misleading captions that attributed violence to Muslims
Nordic Resistance Movement
(@nordicfrontier)
Nordic white nationalist organization18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause
Jared Taylor (@jartaylor) and American RenaissanceAmerican white nationalist18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause
Michael Hill (@MickCollins1951) and League of the SouthAmerican white nationalist18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause
Traditionalist Worker PartyAmerican white nationalist18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause
American Nazi PartyAmerican nazis18 December 2017Became affiliated with “organizations that use or promote violence against civilians to further their cause
f*ck every word
(@f*ckeveryword)
Twitter bot20 December 2017Tweeted “f*ck ni**ers
James Allsup
(@realJamesAllsup)
Far-right political commentator26 December 2017Unknown
Tyler Barriss
(@SWAuTistic)
A suspect in the 2017 Wichita swatting incident30 December 2017Arrested by the Los Angeles police for being a suspected “swatter” who faked a 911 call that ended in a police officer killing an innocent man in Wichita, Kansas

2018 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Golden DawnGreek ultranationalist party5 January 2018Hateful conduct and incitement to violence
Paul Nehlen
(@pnehlen)
Congressional candidate who challenged Speaker Paul Ryan in the Republican primary13 February 2018Posted a racist tweet about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Tommy Robinson
(@TRobinsonNewEra)
British nationalist28 March 2018Engaged in hateful conduct
Craig R. Brittain
(@SenatorBrittain)
Republican US Senate candidate in Arizona, also the former operator of a “revenge p*rn” website30 March 2018Suggested that the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting had been paid by gun control groups
Owen Benjamin
(@OwenBenjamin)
American comedian5 April 2018Made offensive tweets about David Hogg
Sabo
(@UnsavoryAgents)
American street artist13 April 2018Unknown
Mike Enoch
(@mikeenochsback)
White nationalist16 April 2018Engaged in hateful conduct
Masao Shiro
(@mr_beck36)
Manga artist8 June 2018Used an anti-Japanese slur while suggesting an anime adaption of “Takewondoer Park“, one of his manga
@EricHartleyFrndAccount that was used by Jarrod Ramos28 June 2018Arrested after killing five employees of “The Capital” during the mass shooting
“Darren Mills”Russian troll account4 July 2018Discovered to be a fictitious person operated by a Russian troll factory
70 million troll, automated, and fake accountsTroll, automated, and fake accounts6 July 2018Malicious activity
Guccifer 2.0
(@GUCCIFER_2)
Russian-linked account14 July 2018Found to be tied to a network of accounts that were previously suspended on Twitter
DCLeaks
(@dcleaks)
Russian-linked account14 July 2018Found to be tied to a network of accounts that were previously suspended on Twitter
Peter van Buren
(@WeMeantWell)
Writer and Former United States Foreign Service employee5 August 2018Harassed Jonathan M. Katz
Proud Boys
(@ProudBoysUSA)
North American neo-fascist organization11 August 2018Violated Twitter’s policy about violent extremist groups
Gavin McInnes
(@Gavin_McInnes)
Founder of the Proud Boys, a North American neo-fascist organization11 August 2018Violated Twitter’s policy about violent extremist groups
Talbert W. Swan IIAmerican prelate of the Church of God in Christ22 August 2018Engaged in hateful conduct, possibly tied to his appellation of Candace Owens as a “coon
Becky LucasAustralian comedianSeptember 2018Posted “content that was threatening and/or promoting violence” after she tweeted (jokingly) “Oi @ScottMorrisonMP I’m gonna chop your f*cking head off
InfoWars
(@infowars)
American conspiracy website6 September 2018Engaged in abusive behavior
Alex Jones
(@RealAlexJones)
Founder of Info Wars, a conspiracy website6 September 2018Engaged in abusive behavior
@CongressEditsTwitter bot3 October 2018Rebroadcasted Wikipedia edits that doxxed members of Congress
Dozens of Occupy movement activistsOccupy movement activists11 October 2018No official reason
@Infowars_Eu
@InfowarsArmy
@InfowarsCrew
@InfowarsInsider
@InfowarsMag
@InfowarsPapers
@InfowarsReports
@InfowarsShop
@PrisonPlanetTV
@RealInfoStore
@RealNewsX2
@TheNewsWars
@WarRoomMemes
@WarRoomShow
4 other accounts
Accounts that were affiliated with InfoWars and Alex Jones22 October 2022Being tied to InfoWars and Alex Jones
@hardrock2016
@hardrockintlet
Accounts that were used by Cesar Sayoc26 October 2018Made mail bombing attempts against Donald Trump critics and various Democratic Party politicians, and posted far-right political conspiracy theories, specific threats, and graphic images
Smash Racism D.C.
(@SmashRacismDC)
Antifa group from Washington, D.C.7 November 2018Posted the home address of Tucker Carlson and other of his family members after a protest outside his home
Meghan Murphy
(@MeghanEMurphy)
Canadian journalist15 November 2018Engaged in hateful conduct after a heated exchange that involved the misgendering of a transgender woman
Laura Loomer
(@LauraLoomer)
American internet personality, political activist, and conspiracy theorist22 November 2018Engaged in hateful conduct and accused Ilhan Omar of being “pro-FGM” and “pro-Sharia
@putinRF_engImpostor account26 November 2018Impersonated Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russian officials made a complaint to Twitter
Amos Yee
(TheAmosYee)
Singaporean blogger10 December 2018Supported pedophilia

2019 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Stephanie SargnagelAustrian artist and author31 January 2019Posted a tweet that translates to “Austria, you stupid son of a bitch, I am going to kill you
Jacob Wohl
(@JacobAWohl)
American hoaxer, fraudster, and conspiracy theorist26 February 2019Created and operated fake accounts after he boasted about intending to manipulate the 2020 US presidential election results
Brenton Tarrant
(@BrentonTarrant)
Responsible for the Christchurch mosque shootings15 March 2019Posted pictures of the guns he later used during the attacks
Carl Benjamin
(@CarlUKIP) and Tommy Robinson
(@TRobinsonMEP)
UKIP accounts26 April 2019Violated Twitter’s Terms of Service
Min Aung Hlain
(@SGMinAungHlaing)
Commander-in-Chef of Tatmadaw16 May 2019Unknown
Nebojša Krstić
(@Krle22)
Serbian punding who was aligned with the Serbian Progressive Party17 May 2019Harassed the “Vreme” journalist Jovana Gligorijević
Brian Krassenstein
(@krassenstein) and Ed Krassenstein
(@EdKrassen)
Resistance Twitter activists23 May 2019Operated fake accounts
Eoin Lenihan
(@EoinLenihan)
Educator and researchers29 May 2019Abusing multiple accounts
Luke Taylor
(@luketaylorjail)
Internet troll8 July 2019Engaged in sustained harassment of the Planters snack food mascot, Mr. Peanut
Lindsay ShepherdFree-speech activist16 July 2019Engaged in hateful contact after a heated exchange with a transgender woman and LGBTQ advocate from Vancouver
Connor Stephen Betts
(@iamthespookster)
Person responsible for the 2019 Dayton shooting4 August 2019Person responsible for the 2019 Dayton shooting
Patrick Wood Crusius
(@PatrickCrusius)
Person responsible for the 2019 El Paso shooting4 August 2019Person responsible for the 2019 El Paso shooting
200,000 Chinese accountsChinese accounts19 August 2019Accounts were part of a Chinese government influence campaign that targeted the protest movement in Hong Kong
Raúl Castro
(@RaulCastroR)
Cuban government-affiliated account12 September 2019Unspecified
Saud al-Qahtani
(@saudq1978)
Former media consultant to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman20 September 2019Violated the company’s “platform manipulation” policies
DotDev.aeThe operator of bot accounts in the United Arab Emirates20 September 2019Spread information about the Saudi Arabian and Qatar-led intervention in Yemen
Hezbollah and Hamas-affiliated accounts, including Quds News Network and Al-ManarTerrorist organizations1 November 2019Part of Twitter’s actions against “illegal terrorist organizations and violent extremist groups
Danielle Stella
(@2020MNCongress)
Republican candidate that potentially challenged the US Representative Ilhan Omar in the 2020 election27 November 2019Violated several rules repeatedly and tweeted “If it is proven @IlhanMN passed sensitive info to Iran, she should be tried for #treason and hanged.
88,000 Saudi-linked accountsSaudi-linked accounts20 December 2019Several state-backed information operations that originated in Saudi Arabia had “violated platform manipulation policies

2020 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
Zero Hedge
(@zerohedge)
Far-right libertarian financial blog31 January 2020Falsely accused a doctor belonging to the Wuhan Institute of Virology of releasing SARS-CoV-2 as a biological weapons, doxxing the doctor in an article.
@BabyNutBaby, @BabyNutLOL, @BabyNutMemesPlanters-related meme accounts3 February 2020Engaged in astroturfing to support the “Baby Nut” campaign.
70 pro-Michael Bloomberg accountsAccounts promoting Michael Bloomberg21 February 2020Engaged in “platform manipulation” by posting identical messages which Twitter identified as spam
Andrew Walz
(@WalzRI)
Fake Republican candidate account28 February 2020Impersonated a Republican running for Congress in Rhode Island’s 1 congressional district and convinced Twitter to blue-check verify the account
Jack Burkman
(@Jack_Burkman)
Conspiracy theorist and lobbyist19 March 2020Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
8,558 pro-Serbian Progressive Party and pro-Aleksandar Vučić accountsProgressive Party and pro-Aleksandar Vučić accounts2 April 2020Posted positive news that covered the Serbian Progressive Party and Aleksandar Vučić while attacking their political opponents. Twitter claimed that these accounts engaged in “inauthentic coordinated activity
Owen Shroyer
(@allidoisowen), Rob Dew (@DewsNewz), Banned.Video
(@BANNEDdotVIDEO)
InfoWars personalities16 April 2020Promoted violence in a Texas rally against the stay-at-home order regarding the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Alex
(@alx)
Ambassador for Turning Point USA17 April 2020Violated Twitter’s manipulation and spam policy by sharing a meme of Xi Jinping which he generated by using Joe Biden’s avatar from his official website
Joey Salads
(@JoeySalads)
American conservative media personality12 May 2020Violated Twitter’s spam and manipulation policy
@ANTIFA_USFake Antifa account2 June 2020Violated the policy on fake accounts and was a fake Antifa account
170,000 Chinese accounts, 1,000 Russian accounts, and 7,340 Turkish accountsChinese, Russian, and Turkish accounts11 June 2020Found to engage in propaganda and disinformation on behalf of their respective governments
Katie Hopkins
(@KTHopkins)
Far-right activist and British columnist19 June 2020Violated the “hateful conduct” policy by expressing her opposition to a school program that provided meals to hungry children
Logan Cook
(@carpedonktum)
Pro-Trump meme account23 June 2020Repeatedly violated Twitter’s policies by posting an edited scene from the movie “Kingsman: The Secret Service” that depicted Trump killing politicians, journalists, and news outlets. On another occasion, he created a fake CNN “racist toddlers” video where two toddlers would hug and run away together. Twitter labeled this video as racist and took it down after the original content owner filed a copyright complaint
Distributed Denial of Secrets
(@DDoSecrets)
Activist Group23 June 2020Published BlueLeaks, a 269-GB file containing internal US law enforcement data that was obtained by Anonymous
Graham Linehan
(@Glinner)
Television writer27 June 2020Repeatedly engaged in platform manipulation and hateful conduct toward transgender people. He also tried to circumvent his ban
Stefan Molyneux
(@stefanmolyneux)
Conspiracy theorist and far-right activist7 July 2020Operated several fake accounts
More than 50 accounts of white nationalist organizations from different countriesAccounts belonging to white nationalist organizations10 July 2020Violated Twitter’s policies regarding violent extremism
Approximately 157,000 QAnon-related accountsQAnon-related accounts21 July 2020Engaged in misinformation, harassment, and brigading of users (only 7,000 of those 157,000 accounts were permanently banned, while the rest were only temporarily banned)
Talib KweliRapper23 July 2020Engaged in harassment
16 pro-Jair Bolsonaro accountsPro-Jair Bolsonaro accounts24 July 2020Allegedly promoted fake news, and the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil ordered these accounts to be taken down (including accounts of Sara Winter, Roberto Jefferson, Luciano Hang, and more)
Wiley
(@WileyCEO)
Musician25 July 2020Made antisemitic comments
David Duke
(@DrDavidDuke)
Former KKK Grand Wizard and White supremacist30 July 2020Posted hateful content
Gemma O’Doherty
(@gemmaod1)
Irish conspiracy theorist and far-right activist31 July 2020Repeatedly engaged in hateful conduct and abusive behavior
Bull Mitchell
(@mitchellvii)
Conservative pundit14 August 2020Tried to evade the suspension of his other account
Guy Verhoftwat (@guyverhoftwat),
Jarvis DuPont
(@Jarvis DuPont),
Journalist Excellence Worldwide (@journalistew),
Liberal Larry
(@larrydaliberal),
Sir Lefty Farr-Wright
(@supportourlefty),
Tolerance Police
(@diversitypatrol)
Political satire accounts17 August 2020Violated Twitter’s spam and manipulation policies
3,000 Chinese accountsChinese accounts26 August 2020Accounts belonged to a Chinese botnet called “Dracula
Unity 2020
(@ArticlesofUnity)
American political movement27 August 2020Account was considered “potentially harmful” by Twitter
AlwaysActions
(@AlwaysActions)
Conservative account10 September 2020Violated Twitter’s spam and manipulation policy after it repeatedly shared anti-Muslim, xenophobic, and hyper-partisan disinformation
David Vance
(@DVATW)
Right-wing blogger10 September 2020Posted hateful content by making repeated accusations of racism and harassing footballer Marcus Rashford
Li-Meng Yan
(@LiMengYAN119)
Chinese virologist15 September 2020Posted a link to an upload of an unpublished pre-print paper that claimed SARS-CoV-2 was made in a laboratory
Remix News
(@RMXnews)
Media publication supported by the Hungarian government30 September 2020Unknown
Several accounts claiming to be black supporters of Donald TrumpSuspicious accounts claiming to support Donald Trump13 October 2020Violated Twitter’s policies on platform manipulation and spam
Gayathri Raguram
(@gayathriraguram)
Indian actress, politician, and choreographer26 October 2020Posted several tweets regarding the controversy over the statement of VCK leader Thol. Thrumavalavan on Manusmriti
Ira Madison III
(@ira)
Podcaster and writer2 November 2020Impersonated Beto O’Rourke
DeAnna Lorraine
(@DeAnna4Congress)
Former Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives3 November 2020Tweeted that “immigrants would enter the US and commit violence if Trump is not elected
Several accounts claiming to be independent journalistsAccounts claiming to be independent journalists3 November 2020Violated Twitter’s policies on platform manipulation and spam
David Icke
(@davidicke)
English conspiracy theorist4 November 2020Violated Twitter’s rules about healthcare misinformation
Steve Bannon
(@WarRoomP*ndemic)
Former Chief Strategist to Donald Trump5 November 2020Called for the beheading of Anthony Fauci and Christopher A. Wray on his podcast
Mohsen Rezaee
(@ir_rezaee)
Iranian politician and the secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council9 November 2020Engaged in abusive behavior
Bijan Namdar ZangenehIranian Minister of Petroleum15 November 2020Engaged in impersonation
True Indology
(@tiinexile)
Indian right-wing historian17 November 2020Engaged in online banter with a senior IPS officer
@TheBettyTrumpElizabeth Trump Grau imposter account20 November 2020Impersonated Elizabeth Trump Grau, Donald Trump’s older sister
Trapt
(@TRAPTOFFICIAL), Chris Taylor Brown
(@RealCTBTrapt)
American rock band and its lead vocalist8 December 2020Wrote several tweets that defended statutory rape
@real_bobcostasBob Costas imposter account9 December 2020Impersonated Bob Costas after Costas’s son, Keith Michael Kirby Costas, made a complaint to Twitter

2021 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityDate of SuspensionReason for Suspension
L. Lin Wood
(@LLinWood)
American conspiracy theorist and pro-Trump lawyer7 January 2021Incited violence and attempted to evade a ban using a secondary account
Jake Angeli
(@USAwolfpack)
American QAnon conspiracy theorist and far-right activist7 January 2021Found to be one of the leaders of the 2021 US Capitol Attack
Donald Trump
(@realDonaldTrump, Team Trump
(@TeamTrump)
President of the United States and his presidential campaign account8 January 2021After Donald Trump’s personal account made several tweets that Twitter deleted, his supporters stormed the US capitol, prompting Twitter to suspend his account permanently. Afterward, Donald Trump used the @POTUS account to make new tweets (ban evasion), which his campaign account (@TeamTrump) retweeted, prompting Twitter to suspend both permanently
Ben Garrison
(@GrrrGraphics)
American alt-right political cartoonist8 January 2021Posted a cartoon where he endorsed the storming of the US Capitol
Gary Coby
(@GaryCoby)
Digital Director of Trump’s presidential campaign8 January 2021Tried to help Donald Trump evade his bans by using his account (Coby changed his name and profile picture to those of Donald Trump)
Michael Flynn
(@GenFlynn)
Former National Security Advisor for Donald Trump and retired US Army lieutenant8 January 2021Violated Twitter’s Policy on “Coordinated harmful activity” by sharing QAnon content
Jim Watkins
(@isitwetyet),
Ron Watkins
(@CodeMonkeyZ)
Operators of 8kun8 January 2021Violated Twitter’s Policy on “Coordinated harmful activity” by sharing QAnon content
Patrick Byrne
(@PatrickByrne)
CEO of Overstock.com and pro-Trump activist8 January 2021Violated Twitter’s Policy on “Coordinated harmful activity” by sharing QAnon content
Sidney Powell
(@SidneyPowell1)
American conspiracy theorist and pro-Trump lawyer8 January 2021Violated Twitter’s Policy on “Coordinated harmful activity” by sharing QAnon content
Sci-Hub
(@sci_hub)
Kazakhstani shadow library of research papers8 January 2021Violated Twitter’s policy on counterfeiting
Ali Alexander
(@ali)
American organizer of Stop the Seal campaign and far-right activist10 January 2021Unknown
Lou Barletta
(@LouBarletta_PA)
Former US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District10 January 2021Perceived violations of the impersonation policy (it was later reinstated but the ban was initially permanent)
Chris Goss
(@mastersreality)
Lead singer of Masters of Reality11 January 2021Unknown
About 70,000 QAnon-related accountsQAnon-related accounts11 January 2021Unknown
Mike Lindell
(realMikeLindell)
CEO of “My Pillow“, conspiracy theorist, and conservative political activist25 January 2021Repeatedly violated the Civic Integrity policy by using his account to promote disinformation about the presidential election in 2020
Yevgeny Prigozhin
(@evgenyprigozhin)
Russian businessman27 January 2021Violated Twitter’s guidelines
My Pillow
(@mypillowusa)
American pillow manufacturing company1 February 2021Tried to evade the ban after his personal account was banned for disinformation when tweeting “Jack Dorsey is trying to cancel me (Mike Lindell) out!”
Shiva Ayyadurai
(@va_shiva)
Indian-American conspiracy theorist, engineer, and politician2 February 2021Violated the Civic Integrity policy by using his account to promote disinformation about the presidential election in 2020 and the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Jim Hoft
(@gatewaypundit)
Founder and editor of the far-right fake news website “Gateway Pundit6 February 2021Repeatedly violated the Civic Integrity policy by using his account to promote disinformation about the presidential election in 2020
Wayne Allyn Root
(@realwayneroot)
American activist, conspiracy theorist, far-right radio host, author, and conservative political commentator6 February 2021Violated the Civic Integrity policy
Project Veritas
(@Project_Veritas)
American far-right activist group11 February 2021Repeatedly violated the policy against publishing private information
About two dozen Iran- and Russia-affiliated troll accountsIran- and Russia-affiliated troll accounts25 February 2021Tried to manipulate the platform” by promoting messages from pro-independence critics of SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon
The Exposé
(@DailyExposeUK)
British conspiracy websiteMarch 2021Unknown
Fake accounts that posed as the employees of the Amazon fulfillment centerFake accounts30 March 2021Impersonated employees of the Amazon fulfillment center to spread anti-union and anti-Amazon messages
James O’Keefe
(@JamesOKeefeIII)
American right-wing political activist and the founder of Project Veritas15 April 2021Operating fake accounts and engaging in spam and platform manipulation
Kangana Ranaut
(@KanganaTeam)
Indian actress and supporter of Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party4 May 2021Demanded in a tweet the Presidentțs rule in West Bengal as a response to the alleged post-poll violence only two days after the announcement of the election results. Kangana Ranaut tweeted “This is horrible… we need super gundai to kill gundai… she is like an unleashed monster, to tame her Modi ji please show your Virat roop from early 2000’s… #PresidentRuleInBengal”
The Desk of Donald J. Trump
(@DJTDesk)
Account that reposted content from Donald Trump’s website 5 May 2021Violated the policy on ban evasion and shared short blog posts from the website of former US President Donald Trump. Twitter said that it would “take enforcement action on accounts whose apparent intent is to replace or promote content affiliated with a suspended account.” Jason Miller, Trump’s spokesman, said that @DJTDesk wasn’t created by Trump or any of his affiliates
9 accounts tied to Irish columnist and journalist Eoghan HarrisAccounts tied to Irish columnist and journalist Eoghan Harris6 May 2021Engaged in platform manipulation by operating an anonymous sock puppet account on Twitter (@Barbara J Pym). This account tweeted incendiary tweets about Irish politics and harassed journalist Aoife Moore. Multiple accounts tied to @barbarapym2 were also suspended at some point, and Eoghan Harris was one of several people who operated this account
Naomi Wolf
(@naomirwolf)
American anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist and feminist writer4 June 2021Spread misinformation about vaccines
Rebekah Jones
(@GeoRebekah)
American geographer and alleged whistleblower7 June 2021Engaged in spam and platform manipulation by retweeting a “Miami Herald” article regarding her tenure with the Florida Department of Health
Nick Fuentes
(@NickJFuentes)
American far-right political commentator and white nationalist9 July 2021Repeatedly violated Twitter’s rules. Permanently banned after Twitter discovered the “Nicholas J. Fuentes: Five Things to Know” article published by the Anti-Defamation League
Nation of Islam
(@OfficialNOI)
American political and religious organization22 July 2022Spread misinformation about the vaccines
@ArizonaAudit,
@Audit_PA, @AuditGeorgita, @AuditMichigan, @AuditNevada, @AuditWarRoom, @AuditWisconsin
Accounts that called for pro-Trump audits of the 2020 US presidential elections and promoted the Maricopa County audit27 July 2021Violated the policies regarding spam and platform manipulation
Anjem Choudary
(@anjemchoudary_)
British Islamist hate preacher who was convicted under the UK Terrorism Act 200028 July 2021Violated Twitter’s rules regarding violating individuals and organizations. Anjem Choudary had been convicted of supporting ISIL in 2016 and all his social media accounts were banned
Bronze Age Pervert
(@bronzeagemantis)
Alt-right author4 August 2021Unknown
@CormacMcCrthyImposter of Cormac McCarthy’s account9 August 2021Account made by Daniel Watts, California Republican candidate, used to impersonate Cormac McCarthy
Aubrey Hugg
(@aubrey_huff)
Former professional baseball player10 August 2021Repeatedly engaged in misleading posts about the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
@BBCAfghanNews,
@CNNAfghan,
@MSNBCAfghan
Fake news accounts17 August 2021Propagated a fake story about “Bernie Gores“, an inexistent CNN journalist who was allegedly killed by the Taliban during the Fall of Kabul
Jean Messiha
(@jeanmessiha)
French politician26 August 2021Repeatedly engaged in hateful conduct
Alex Berenson
(@alexberenson)
Writer29 August 2021Repeatedly posted misleading information about the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Anonymous Germany
(@AnonNewsDE)
Decentralized hacking group13 September 2021Hacked the account of neo-Nazi conspiracy theorist Attila Hildman, disseminated hacked materials, breached the policy on private information, and engaged in spam and platform manipulation
Greg Locke
(@pastorlocke)
Founder of Global Vision Bible Church14 September 2021Repeatedly engaged in misinformation regarding the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Emerald Robinson
(@Emeraldrobionson)
American journalist and White House Correspondent for Newsmax TV and 10 November 2021Repeatedly engaged in misinformation regarding the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
@TrackerTrialAccount that covered the s3x trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell8 December 2021Engaged in spam and platform manipulation
Rober W. Malone
(@RWMaloneMD)
American immunologist and virologist29 December 2021Repeatedly engaged in misinformation regarding the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.

2022 Permanent Suspensions

Account NameAccount IdentityAccount DateReason for Suspension
Marjorie Taylor Greene
(@mtgreenee)
Personal account of US Congresswoman representing the 14th congressional district of Georgia2 January 2022Repeatedly engaged in information regarding the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Politics for All
(@PoliticsForAll)
News aggregate account4 January 2022Engaged in spam and platform manipulation
Luciano Hang
(@lucianohangbr)
Brazilian businessman and the co-founder and owner of Havan department stores12 January 2022A court order issued by the Supreme Federal Court against fake news in Brazil, and a video he shared where he denounced the vaccination of children
Ali Khamenei
(@KhameneiSite)
An official Twitter account belonging to the Supreme Leader of Iran15 January 2022Posted an animation targeting the former US president Donald Trump as revenge for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in 2020
300 accounts that promoted the Phillippines’ presidential front-runner Bongbong MarcosAccounts that promoted the Phillippines’ presidential front-runner Bongbong Marcos21 January 2022Engaged in spam and platform manipulation
@wordlinatorAccount that highlights the contradictory and hypocritical tweets of public figures15 February 2022Violated the “automation rules around sending unsolicited mentions
Grace Lavery
(@graceelavery)
Associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley23 February 2022Tweeted “I hope the queen dies” after Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for the virus
CNN Ukraine
(@CNNUKR)
Fake news account25 February 2022Shared fake news about the death of a journalist in Ukraine
Randy Hillier
(@randyhillier)
A member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament8 March 2022Repeatedly engaged in misinformation around the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Samantha Markle
(@TheMarkleSammy)
Older paternal half-sister of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex14 March 2022Ban evasion
Juanita Broaddrick
(@atensnut)
Bill Clinton rape accuser11 April 2022Spread potentially harmful and misleading information about the Made unsubstantiated (no evidence) claims about the impending nation-spread food shortages caused by the healthcare crisis, after repeatedly breaking Twitter’s rules and making false statements.
Roger Stone
(@RogerStoneUSA)
American lobbyist and conservative political consultant28 April 2022Evaded the October 2017 Twitter ban
Donald J Trump’s Truth Social Posts
(@PresTrumpTS)
Account that posted Donald Trump’s posts from this Truth Social account17 May 2022Evaded his permanent ban since the 2021 US Capitol attack
Approximately 300 suspected Irish bot accountsSuspected Irish bot accounts17 May 2022Mass-retweeted a tweet made by the Irish Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly and engaged in spam after the Department of Health and Fianna Fáil political party called for an investigation into the accounts
80 accounts tied to Gurbaksh Chahal’s BNN News NetworkAccounts tied to Gurbaksh Chahal’s BNN News Network28 June 2022Engaged in spam and platform manipulation
@RuthSentUsAmerican pro-abortion rights group14 July 2022 Published a map that contained the home addresses of the six Supreme Court Justices
Tetsuya Yamagami
(333_hill)
The assassin of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former Prime Minister19 July 2022Violated unspecified Twitter corporate policies
@GBNews_UKFake news account26 July 2022Posted a fake news article that claimed a lorry carrying £20,000 worth of lobsters and champagne to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s house remained stuck in traffic
James A. Lindsay
(ConceptualJames)
American author, mathematician, and cultural critic5 August 2022Engaged in hateful content
Luis Miguel
(@LuisMiguesUS)
American political candidate19 August 2022Advocated the shooting of federal enforcement agents in a tweet
@bjorkanism
Account used by Bjorka, an alleged Polish hacker and hacktivist11 September 2022Distributed hacked materials on Twitter
@bjorxanism,
@bjorkanesian,
@bjorkanism19
Accounts used by Bjorka, an alleged Polish hacker and hacktivist12, 13, 18 September 2022Violated the ban evasion policy
Peter A. McCullough
(@P_McCulloughMD)
American epidemiologist and cardiologist6 October 2022Unknown
Kathy Griffin
(@kathygriffin)
American comedian6 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
Amy Rose Brown
(@arb)
Verified user6 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
Chris Kluwe
(@chriswarcraft)
Former American football player6 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
h3h3Productions
(@h3h3productions)
American YouTuber6 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
Jeph Jacques
(@jephjacques)
American cartoonish and the creator of “Questionable Content6 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
Rich Sommer
(@richsommer)
American actor6 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
@EliLillyandCoAccount that impersonated Eli Lilly and Company10 November 2022Impersonated several individuals and posted a tweet where she claimed that Eli Lilly and Company made insulin free, which caused Eli Lilly to lose $15 billion in market capitalization
Elm Fork John Brown Gub Club
(@EFJBGC)
Anti-fascist gun group22 November 2022Engaged in hateful conduct in tweets by criticizing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and advocating for LGBT gun ownership after the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting
Chad Loder
(@chadloder)
American anti-fascist activist23 November 2022Unknown, though he was allegedly banned on order from Elon Musk directly
CrimethInc
(@crimethinc)
Anarchist collective25 November 2022Banned after Andy Ngrequestedto Elon Musk
Edit Frost
(@Seaedithfrost)
American singer-songwriter30 November 2022Impersonated Elon Musk
Kanye West
(@kanyewest)
American rapper1 December 2022Posted a picture of a Raëlism symbol that resembled a swastika inside a Star of David, and also praised Adolf Hitler during an appearance on InfoWars
@ElonJet,
@ZuccJet,
@JohnKerryJet,
@Trumpjets
Jack Sweeney
(@JxckSweeney)
Accounts that tracked the private flights of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, John Kerry, and Donald Trump, and the accounts’ owner14 December 2022Violated Twitter rules. Elon Musk said that these accounts were “a direct personal safety risk
Susan Li
(@SusanLiTV)
Journalist for “Fox Business16 December 2022Posted a link leading to a flight-tracking website

Conclusion

In 2016, Twitter went on a spree of account suspensions, with even notable ones ranging in the 40 and 50s per year.

Needless to say, the company has quite a tangled relationship with what it perceives as free speech, and Elon Musk’s takeover is bound to result in some drastic changes in that regard.

Whether that leads to more or fewer permanent account bans remains to be seen!

Sources:

Twitter: Transparency Reports
Search Engine Journal: Twitter Transparency Reports Shows Dark Side of Social Media
Teslarati: Twitter Suspended 14 Million Accounts Between 2012 & 2021: Study
Statista: Twitter Statistics
Wikipedia: Twitter Suspensions
Social Media Today: Twitter Has Suspended More Than 70,000 Accounts Following the Capital Riots
Technology Review: Twitter May Have Lost More than a Million users Since Elon Musk Took Over

Photo of author

Alex Popa

My name is Alex and I have a knack for social media in all its shapes and forms. I’ve dealt with such things for quite some time and I noticed that many people have issues with social media and technicalities.

Unforeseen errors, bugs, and other problems make their use of social media problematic. These things will be discussed amply in the guides on Whizcase.

I'll present the facts as they are, and offer quick and easy solutions for them.

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