Throwback for Twitter, zero tolerance for violent posts
Twitter implements an updated "zero tolerance" policy on violent speech. The new policy also comes as the platform has fewer staff to look into potential violations, following waves of layoffs under new owner Elon Musk
Twitter clampdown on violent language.
The San Francisco-based microblogging company on Wednesday announced a new policy banning "violent speech" on its platform, though the rules appear very similar to the anti-violent threat guidelines the platform had before Elon Musk took any. the control .
Among the updates, Twitter has introduced new bans on posts that include not only physical threats to people but also to buildings and structures, both private and public.
The move is a reversal of what the current owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, had stated in the past, namely the desire to make the social network a place for freedom of expression. Furthermore, one wonders how the Twitter team will be able to cope with the new regulations given that, since last October, the workforce has been weakened ( from 7,500 to less than 2,000 employees ), even though a large part of the social monitoring system is computerized and based on automatic controls.
All the details.
TWITTER'S NEW RULES ON VIOLENT CONTENT AND LANGUAGE
On March 1, Twitter unveiled a new violent speech policy that expands restrictions on certain types of threats uttered on its platform, including new bans on using coded language to indirectly incite violence, as well as a ban on wishing harm to people. others and to make direct threats against natural persons infrastructure.
The official TwitterSafe profile writes: “we have made some changes to our policy on violent content and language. Today we want to officially launch our 'Violent Speech Policy', which prohibits the threats and calls for violence, the glorification of the latter and the incitement of brute force". In the question and answer section of the social network, a new information box has appeared which reads "you may not threaten to inflict physical harm on others, which includes (but is not limited to) threats of death, torture, sexual harassment or other forms of violence against third parties. This also includes the threat of damaging a civilian's home or shelter or infrastructure that is vital to civilian, economic and day-to-day activities."
IN VIEW OF THE DIGITAL SERVICES ACT
As the AP notes, the crackdown on hateful content comes as Twitter prepares to comply with new European Union rules that take effect this fall. The new rules, dubbed the Digital Services Act, require tech companies to better police their platforms for material that, for example, promotes terrorism, child sexual abuse, hate speech and commercial scams.
WILL THE PLATFORM ENFORCE THE NEW RULES?
Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether the platform will be able to enforce the new rules. Having lost most of its workforce amid layoffs and resignations, it's unclear whether Twitter will be able to oversee user content under the new policies.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/ritorno-al-passato-per-twitter-tolleranza-zero-per-post-violenti/ on Fri, 03 Mar 2023 07:03:42 +0000.