Twitter plans to implement much stricter rules regarding abusive posts and those that contain words or images of hatred and violence.
Despite previous efforts to do the same, the social network has come under fire in recent months for not doing enough to protect users from abuse. In an email sent to employees, Twitter said:
“Hateful imagery, hate symbols, etc., will now be considered sensitive media.”
Twitter sets a higher bar for how it handles sensitive media and can take swift action to remove it.
Further, Twitter “will take enforcement action against organizations that use/have historically used violence as a means to advance their cause.”
The company plans to update its rules concerning non-consensual nudity, unwanted sexual advances, and threats of violence directed against individuals/groups.
“We realize that a more aggressive policy and enforcement approach will result in the removal of more content from our service,” said Twitter, but “we are comfortable making this decision, assuming that we will only be removing abusive content that violates our Rules.”
The company will bulk up its team to help improve its appeals and review process for those who feel their content was removed unjustly. Twitter didn’t say how soon users will begin to see a reduction in tweets containing hatred and violence.
