Christopher Doering, USA TODAY , WFAA 4:30 PM. CDT June 11, 2016
In this November 7, 2013 file photo, a banner with the logo of Twitter is set on the front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)in New York. EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images (Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND)
WASHINGTON — A growing number of Twitter users are putting ((( ... ))) around their username, the latest evolution for the so-called "echo" that until recently had an anti-Semitic message.
The practice of using the echo, or triple parenthesis, is believed to have originated in an anti-Semitic podcast in 2014 as a way to identify and harass people perceived to be Jewish. On Twitter, an individual would add the echo around a name or organization, then other users would know to target them. In recent weeks, it has been used against some journalists who wrote stories critical of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and his family.
But a growing number of users of the popular micro-blogging service are adding the symbols around their user names as an act of solidarity and as a way to make it harder for people to be targeted for their religion. There is even a website to find tweets that have the triple parenthesis in them.
Is it just me? How come loads of peoples' names on Twitter now suddenly are in triple parenthesis? Have I missed something?
— Pauline (@juliefa2) June 8, 2016On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League added the "echo" to its hate symbols database — which includes the swastika.
"The echo symbol is the online equivalent of tagging a building with anti-Semitic graffiti or taunting someone verbally," said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League. "We at ADL take this manifestation of online hate seriously."
Contact Christopher Doering at cdoering@usatoday.com or reach him at Twitter: @cdoering
Copyright 2016 WFAA
Source: Twitter users seeing plenty of (((...))) — what it means
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