The fourth largest social media platform and host of hundreds of millions of users, Twitter, needs to do something about their content Policies, quick. Over the years, Twitter has become a large host for not only bullies and harassers, but incredibly harmful groups like ISIS recruiters, Nazis, and violent radicals. With an initially vague policy on content, the popular social media platform easily became a ground for cyberbullying and toxicity.
Where it all started
Last Friday the 13th, Rose McGowan started the hashtag “#WomenBoycottTwitter” after getting her account suspended over the Harvey Weinstein controversy.
Thousands of women didn’t use Twitter in support of the movement. In response to the issue, the C.E.O. of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, went on a Twitter-run promising to implement better policies to create a safer environment for the social media platform.
6/ We decided to take a more aggressive stance in our rules and how we enforce them.
— jack (@jack) October 14, 2017
6/ We decided to take a more aggressive stance in our rules and how we enforce them.
— jack (@jack) October 14, 2017
According to Dorsey, in 2016 Twitter prioritized counteracting hateful content. The company updated their policies, increased the size of their staff, and formed a Trust and Safety Council to oversee the appropriateness of content, but critics were still unsatisfied with the company's efforts.
In his tweet, Dorsey announced that Twitter will be taking a more aggressive stance in terms of their policies. Unwanted sexual advances, non-consensual nudity, hate symbols, violent groups, and tweets that glorify violence will no longer be tolerated on the platform and will have harsher consequences.
Twitter’s more aggressive strategy to combat hate and abuse
According to a leaked email obtained by The Wire, more details on Twitter’s new guidelines have been revealed.
According to an email addressed to Twitter’s Trust & Safety Council members, the platform will be implementing a harsher stance against non-consensual nudity by updating their approach and broadening its definition to include content like upskirt imagery, “creepshots,” and hidden camera content.
Twitter will also be updating current policies on unwanted sexual advances by leveraging past interaction signals to decipher when user interaction may be threatening or unwanted. The platform will be introducing new policies to help facilitate much safer content. Policies include non tolerance of hate symbols, violence groups, and any tweets that glorify violence.
Much adjustment and clarification is still needed for the enforcement of these new policies, but we can expect the site to start implementing these changes soon.
