An online report suggests that social media giant Twitter has disbanded its Trust and Safety Council since it believes that having this independent body to protect users is not enough,
An email allegedly sent by Twitter to its Trust and Safety Council members says, “As Twitter moves into a new phase, we are reevaluating how best to bring external insights into our product and policy development work. As part of this process, we have decided that the Trust and Safety Council is not the best structure to do this.”
Also Read| Why Elon Musk was booed by crowd at Dave Chapelle show
The link on the Twitter website that leads to its Trust and Safety Counil now says, “Nothing to see here”.
The statement further added, “Our work to make Twitter a safe, informative place will be moving faster and more aggressively than ever before and we will continue to welcome your idely going forward about how to achieve this goal. We will also continue to explore opportunities to provide focussed and timely input into our work, whether through bilateral or small group meetings.”
Three members of the council had quit recently, alleging that new owner Elon Musk has not been paying heed to the body since he acquired Twitter in October 2022.
In an interview with Texas Public Radio, former members of the council, Eirliani Abdul Rahman and Anne Collier, said that Twitter is currently looking to enable algorithms to take calls when it comes to online hate or abuse.
The duo have also claimed that hate speech on the platform has been on the rise since Musk’s acquisition. In the first two weeks since Musk’s takeover, “antisemitic posts went up by 61% – against gay men, the corresponding number is 58%”, according to Rahman.
Collier has spoken against automated content moderation in her resignation letter. She believes content regulation is a complex affair that needs human intervention.
