Twitter is expanding the list of content banned from its platform, and it will no longer allow users to share the “private media” of individuals without their consent.
The social media company announced the new changes in a blog post written by its Twitter Safety team Tuesday, updating its policy on sharing private information such as driver’s license numbers or home addresses to include private media like images and videos. Under the new rules, an individual can notify Twitter if an image of them is shared without their consent, and Twitter will consider removing the offending image.
“The misuse of private media can affect everyone, but can have a disproportionate effect on women, activists, dissidents, and members of minority communities,” Twitter Safety wrote in the post.
The policy does not apply to images that users upload of themselves to be viewed by the public, such as images posted to their Twitter accounts, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Twitter will also exempt private media “featuring public figures or individuals when media and accompanying Tweet text are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse” if such images aren’t used to “harass,” “intimidate” or “silence” individuals. Employees will use a range of criteria to determine what constitutes media in the public interest, including whether the media is related to ongoing public conversations or news coverage, according to the spokesperson.
The logo of US social network Twitter displayed on the screen of a smartphone. (Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images)
The Twitter spokesperson confirmed to the DCNF that media depicting public figures such as actors, political leaders, business executives and journalists will also be exempt from the new rules. (RELATED: ‘Hateful Conduct’: Twitter Locks Rep. Jim Banks Account For Calling Rachel Levine A Man)
Users who violate the new privacy policy will be subject to Twitter’s “range of enforcement options,” which includes placing accounts in “read-only mode” or even “permanent suspension” of accounts.
The change comes one day after chief executive Jack Dorsey was replaced by Parag Agrawal, former chief technology officer of Twitter. Agrawal is already receiving criticism for his positions on online speech from many, including Republican lawmakers expressing concerns that he might limit political content on the platform.
Twitter Safety said that the changes would improve the privacy and security of the platform in addition to protecting the safety of users.
“Feeling safe on Twitter is different for everyone, and our teams are constantly working to understand and address these needs,” the Twitter Safety team wrote in its blog post.
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