In a series of tweets posted to its own platform, Twitter outlined a number of changes to its rules and policies. Users were skeptical that the company would enforce them fairly.
Tweeting from the @TwitterSafety account, the platform outlined its updated rules and policies which the company has shortened and clarified in an attempt to give users a more clear understanding of what is and isn’t allowed on the platform. The company stated in the first tweet: “Rules should be easy to understand. We heard you, ours weren’t. We updated, reordered, and shortened them, so you can know what’s not allowed on Twitter. Click through this thread for all our rules, and read our blog to learn more.” The company linked a blog post which outlines some of the sites main policies.
A number of tweets from the thread can be found below:
Twitter's purpose is to serve the public conversation. Violence, harassment and other similar types of behavior discourage people from expressing themselves, and ultimately diminishes the value of global public conversation.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence. https://t.co/4yhPmtBTbPhttps://t.co/oiWg7y2StX
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
We have zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation on Twitter.https://t.co/X0hPDRmjSG
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease. https://t.co/LKpGvdqeXq
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not post media that is excessively gory or share violent or adult content within live video or in profile or header images. Media depicting sexual violence and/or assault is also not permitted.https://t.co/imhaArGo1k
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not publish or post other people's private information (such as home phone number and address) without their express authorization and permission. We also prohibit threatening to expose private information or incentivizing others to do so.https://t.co/GYZaIilLYe
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not post or share intimate photos or videos of someone that were produced or distributed without their consent.https://t.co/m7gieLBpZU
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections. This includes posting or sharing content that may suppress voter turnout or mislead people about when, where, or how to vote.https://t.co/Yh60uCZHSO
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
You may not violate others’ intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark. https://t.co/O8Nh6hXKnshttps://t.co/oMQ4an4wJe
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
Note: we may need to change these Rules from time to time in order to support our goal of promoting a healthy public conversation. The most current version is always available here👇https://t.co/NGVT3qYgTQ
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 6, 2019
A number of users replied to the series of tweets, many of which were not convinced that the new policies would change how Twitter operates:
Great. Now just ENFORCE them in a non-partisan manner. No more of this different rules for different people. It's not hard. Just enforce equitably. Is that too much to ask?
— #FockerAtTheMovies (@FockerRN529) June 7, 2019
I look forward to these rules being ignored or interpreted in such a way that you can continue to do whatever you feel like all the time. Thank you @jack.
— Lloyd Waldo (@LloydWaldo) June 6, 2019
We understand the rules. What we don't understand is why you don't properly enforce them.
— Keith Patch (@KeithPatch) June 7, 2019
Even in recent weeks, Jack Dorsey’s company has appeared to apply its rules and policies selectively. Breitbart News reporter Alana Mastrangelo recently reported on Twitter’s refusal to take action on an account calling for violence against a 7-year-old Trump supporter. Mastrangelo writes:
Internet comedian and Awful Records illustrator Zachary “Zack” Fox tweeted a photo-shopped image of a pro-Trump child on a road as someone is about to run him over. The child photo-shopped into the image is 7-year-old Benton Stevens from Texas, who recently made national news after raising $22,000 for a border wall with his lemonade and hot chocolate stands.
The tweet joking about murdering a 7-year-old child — which appears to be very popular among #Resistance Twitter users — has yet to be taken down by Twitter, despite the social media platform seeming to take action rather quickly when it comes to other types of accounts.
While Fox’s tweet joking about running over a 7-year-old child for wanting secured borders remains on the social media platform, it has been noted that other accounts seem to be routinely suspended after engaging in behavior many would deem far less abusive, such as operating lighthearted parody accounts mocking public servants, or creating humorous Internet memes.
Fox’s tweet can be seen below:
— Zachary Fox (@zackfox) June 3, 2019
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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