Infowars Content Pulled for YouTube, Facebook, Apple.
KINKADE: You're watching CNN, and this is CONNECT THE WORLD. I am Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta filling in for Becky Anderson. Welcome back. Well a notorious conspiracy theorist in the U.S. now has a vastly smaller audience. YouTube, Facebook and Apple have removed Alex Jones' Infowars content from their sites. Jones has called the 9/11 attacks an inside job by the U.S. government and the Sandy Hook School massacre a hoax. Brian Seltzer is here to explain exactly why the tech giants decided to action virtually all at once. Brian, it kind of is surprising because there have been lawsuits against Infowars for some months now. So, why are Facebook and Apple and Google responding now?</s>BRIAN STELTER, CNNMONEY SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a long, long delay here. Some reluctance to take action and then all of a sudden, these companies fell in line. Let's go back a few weeks, there's been scrutiny around Facebook and other companies giving a platform to Infowars. A scrutiny partly because reporters from CNN and other outlets have been asking about the policies of these tech giants follow. Well, these are some of the biggest companies in the world. Facebook, and Google and Amazon and Apple. They're known as FAANG, F-A-A-N-G, the collection of the biggest tech companies. And they face these really tough decisions about how to handle certain users who are abusing their services and sites. Jones -- you see him there on screen -- he's all over YouTube, he has millions of views, not any more. Over the weekend Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, decided to pull the Infowars podcasts from Apple's Podcast Store. That action apparently caused a domino effect, where we saw Facebook, Spotify and other companies take action against Infowars as well. That's according to our colleague Dylan Buyers who was reporting today that it was Apple that had started this, and then other companies fell in line. He said there was no coordination per se, but the other companies looked over at Apple, saw what Apple did, saw Apple went first and they quickly followed. So now he's off of YouTube, he's off of Facebook. The big platform Jones is still on is Twitter. And so far, Twitter says he's not violating Twitter's policies. But in terms of all of these other companies, these other platforms, they say he's violating hate speech policies. And that's why he's been removed.</s>KINKADE: Yes, certainly it must have been some of those parents of the Sandy Hook victims. I want to turn to another story now. Facebook, of course, as you mentioned cutting off Alex Jones. But asking America's big banks to share financial data of big customers. It's really a hard story to believe but "Wall Street Journal" reports that Facebook wants information such as checking account balances and credit card activity. Facebook now saying it isn't actively seeking that data. Does this report put even more scrutiny on Facebook's privacy practices?</s>STELTER: Yes, that in this "Journal" story shows exactly what Facebook is trying to do with regard to advertising sales and how that comes up against this tension involving privacy. Look, when you are using something for free on the internet, that means you are, you are the product. In this case, Facebook is selling its users, selling you, selling me to advertisers, and according to the "Journal" by layering in banking information -- for example if you know that I have a high credit score, you might try to pitch me luxury products, if you know I have a lower credit score, you might try to pitch me something else. I think that's what Facebook is reportedly looking at doing. Like you said, the company is denying that it's actively trying to do this. But it's an awkwardly-worded denial that makes me think there's something to this "Journal" story. And I don't think we should necessarily be surprised. I mean, this is what big companies try to do with data. They try to know as much about you as humanly possible, so they can better target you with ads. That is exactly the Facebook -- the business that Facebook is in. Even though the company has been under scrutiny recently for its practices. They're walking this fine line. Trying to know as much about you as possible but trying to convince you they're doing it ethically and responsibly.</s>KINKADE: We can only hope they are doing it ethically and responsibly.</s>STELTER: It's tricky.</s>KINKADE: Yes, Brian Stelter, as always, thanks for joining us from New York</s>STELTER: Thank you. In our parting shots, who among us doesn't like to be reminded of the good times? Well a new Axios report says the U.S. President is no exception in one way he relives proud moments is by watching replays of his debates and rallies, enjoying his own performance, here's our Jeannie Moos.</s>JEANNIE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know who loves watching Trump rallies? Trump. The President is often portrayed as the type who likes looking at himself in mirrors.</s>NBC, "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMY FALLON": It's going to be -- huge.</s>MOOS: And now, Axios is reporting he enjoys replaying his rallies on the TV in the ding room next to the Oval Office. Imagine reliving all that fist-pumping, finger-pointing and waving. Give yourself a hand for how you tossed out protesters.</s>TRUMP: Good-bye, darling.</s>MOOS: Got out the vote.</s>TRUMP: Get your asses out tomorrow and vote.</s>MOOS: And confused your critics with puzzling sound bites.</s>TRUMP: You see what they do? Bing, bing, right. You see what they're doing?</s>MOOS: The White House wouldn't comment, but Axios reports when watching replays, Trump will interject commentary. Reveling in his most controversial lines. Wait for it see what I did there, he'll say. Whether it be using insulting nicknames.</s>TRUMP: Pocahontas.</s>MOOS: Or imitating himself if he acted more like other Presidents.</s>TRUMP: I'm very Presidential.</s>MOOS: There are parts the President might prefer to fast-forward through. Like the other day when he said --</s>TRUMP: Flamingo dancer from Argentina on the Tallahassee trail.</s>MOOS: Well actually it's the Appalachian Trail and they're called flamenco dancers. As someone tweeted President Trump, this is a flamingo dancer. Axios reports that in the early days of the administration, President Trump loved re-watching his debates with Hillary this was one of his favorite exchanges.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.</s>TRUMP: Because you'd in jail.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Secretary Clinton --</s>MOOS: But replays don't always age well. These days, that "in jail" stuff is hitting closer to home. Jeannie Moos,</s>CNN. TRUMP: Because you'd be in jail.</s>MOOS: New York.</s>KINKADE: That was CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Lynda Kinkaid, thanks for watching, I'll see you tomorrow. END