Twitter adds new controls for trolls
SOCIAL media companies are under increasing scrutiny for the amount of hate speech that thrives on their platforms. Now, Twitter has unveiled new measures to curb the online abuse, though the changes are unlikely to be far-reaching enough to quiet critics.
On Tuesday, Twitter said it was making it easier for its users to hide content they do not wish to see on the service and to report abusive posts. The company has given its support teams training to better identify mistreatment.
“There’s a fine line between free expression and abuse, and this launch is another step on the path toward getting rid of abuse,” said Del Harvey, a Twitter vice president. “We’ve been launching products to address this, and the cadence of product releases is picking up. We have a lot planned on this path.”
Online harassment and hate speech have long festered on Twitter, but the incidents appeared to rise during the presidential campaign. Exchanges between supporters of President-elect Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton grew personal and acrimonious. Many of Trump’s supporters also relied on a series of images – some anti-Semitic and others quietly coded as racist – to circulate hate speech on Twitter.
Since Trump’s victory last week, Twitter has been filled with reports of racist taunts against minorities. Many have expressed fear and concern about the escalation of such behavior. When asked about harassment of minorities, Trump told 60 Minutes that his supporters should “stop it”.
Twitter has not had a comprehensive response for dealing with hate speech, largely because the company did not want to limit freedom of expression on the service. But over time, Twitter has rolled out measures to tackle the problem. It has let people mute the accounts of other users, effectively making their content disappear from view. Last year, it issued an explicit prohibition against hateful conduct.
The company is now taking more action. It is letting people block out what they do not want to see, including muting words, phrases and even entire conversations. Twitter is also making it easier for people to report abusive behaviour, even if they are only bystanders to the abuses. And it has overhauled its approach to training support teams, holding special sessions on cultural and historical context for hateful conduct.