Twitter is once again tightening its rules around what users are permitted to say on the platform. The company introduced an updated “violent speech” policy, which contains some notable additions compared with previous versions of the rules.
Interestingly, the new policy prohibits users from expressing “wishes of harm” and similar sentiments. “This includes (but is not limited to) hoping for others to die, suffer illnesses, tragic incidents, or experience other physically harmful consequences,” the rules state. That’s a reversal from Twitter’s previous policy, which explicitly said that “statements that express a wish or hope that someone experiences physical harm" were not against the company’s rules.
“Statements that express a wish or hope that someone experiences physical harm, making vague or indirect threats, or threatening actions that are unlikely to cause serious or lasting injury are not actionable under this policy,” Twitter’s previous policy…
2023-02-28 16:43:20
Post from www.engadget.com
Twitter has updated their existing policy on violent speech and hate speech, banning a wider range of language now prohibited on their platform.
The new rules provide greater detail on language intended to wish harm on others and outline the baseline parameters for such language. This is an effort to ensure that users who display an intolerance to vulnerable communities, or any other form of harassment, will be reprimanded.
The updated policy makes explicit that the platform will take action against language that wishes or promises harm on or to an individual or group, including an individual’s and/or group’s race, religion, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. This means that posts containing language “glorifying or condoning” violence or “dehumanising” any person or group of people will not be tolerated.
Furthermore, language that is deemed a “direct and specific threat” will be treated as such. This includes a specific threat of violence and calls for “serious acts of violence” against individuals or groups, even if not made in a literal or direct way.
Finally, the updated policy includes language that romanticises or glorifies violence, including against people or animals. Twitter will consider the context of the language and whether it is part of a larger pattern of behaviour when determining appropriate action.
Twitter’s newly implemented regulations are aimed at providing users with a safe and respectful environment in which to express themselves and interact with others. Additionally, the platform is taking into account other users’ experiences of feeling harassed or threatened. By doing so, Twitter is hoping to create a safe space for users to discuss a wide variety of topics, without fear of verbal abuse.