Last year, Twitter was at the center of debate as it struggled to effectively deal with harassment and trolls. So much so that Dick Costolo, who was CEO at the time, said, “We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls on the platform and we’ve sucked at it for years.”
Costolo vowed to fix it personally, and while he implemented some smaller improvements, the company has moved forward today to try and ensure users feel even more safe on Twitter.
In pursuit of that it’s announced the Twitter Trust & Safety Council, a panel of representatives from 40 diverse organizations around the world, who will provide active input on the company’s safety products, policies and programs.
The organizations cover a range of different sectors, such as Childnet, the Dangerous Speech Project and Feminist Frequency. The group will meet and provide feedback on product improvements and ideas for the platform.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
It’s unclear what this collaboration will look like, or if Twitter intends to expand the council in the future. The company said that “Twitter empowers every voice to shape the world, but you can’t do that unless you feel safe and confident enough to express yourself freely and connect with the world around you.”
The company plans “regular and consistent action” to curb harassment on the platform and Nick Pickles, Twitter UK’s head of policy told The Guardian that harassment is an “everyday discussion.”
It’ll be interesting to see how much material impact the council has on Twitter, and whether the company will share how its meetings or feedback have impacted the direction of the platform in the future.
➤ Trust and Safety Council [Twitter]
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.