A programme that lists thousands of users on Twitter for automatic blocking has been thrown into chaos following an expose by an independent legal blogger. Known as “The Block Bot”, it claimed to list “trolls, abusers, and bigots” on its “Level One” block list. In reality, many of the people targeted by the Block Bot were political critics and sceptics who disagreed with its creators’ hardline progressive beliefs.

The Block Bot was created in the context of the “Atheism Plus” controversy, a schism within atheism and scepticism movements dividing those who wanted to inject feminism, “anti-oppression,” and social justice into the movement, and those who wanted to be as sceptical of political ideologies as they were of religion.

Many of the people listed on the blocklist as “bigots and abusers” are in fact atheist commentators who disagreed with the mission of Atheism Plus, such as popular YouTube commentators Phil Mason, Mykeru and the blogger Skepdigger.

Following a letter of claim issued by the pseudonymous legal blogger Matthew Hopkins, the Block Bot’s website has undergone several rapid changes. Many of these are documented on Hopkins’ private blog. As of this morning, the Block Bot’s website appears to be inaccessible, as well as a linked site that allows users to check whether they are blocked. News also emerged of the resignation of one of the Block Bot’s team members, although it is unclear if this is connected to its legal troubles.

Twitter accounts added to the Block Bot contained a staggering number of journalists