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Twitter's new feature that makes it easier to report trolls who try to leak users' personal info

ScienceMarch 8, 2019
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Twitter steps up its fight against doxxing with new feature that makes it easier to report trolls who try to leak other users’ personal information

  • Twitter is rolling out new safety features to help users report abusive accounts
  • Now, when users report a tweet, they can say what personal info is being shared
  • It could help Twitter prevent leaks of phone numbers, addresses and other data  

By Annie Palmer For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:35 GMT, 8 March 2019 | Updated: 17:35 GMT, 8 March 2019

Twitter is giving users more tools to fight trolls. 

The social media giant has launched a new feature that lets users give more detailed information when reporting tweets that share personal information. 

It could help Twitter respond more quickly to tweets that share private data, like phone numbers, addresses, emails or financial information. 

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Twitter is giving users more tools to fight trolls. The firm has launched a new feature that lets users give more detailed information when reporting tweets that share personal information

Twitter is giving users more tools to fight trolls. The firm has launched a new feature that lets users give more detailed information when reporting tweets that share personal information

‘We want to move faster in reviewing reported Tweets that share personal information,’ the company’s Safety unit wrote in a tweet.

‘Starting today, you’ll be able to tell us more about the Tweet you are reporting.’

Now, when users report an offensive or abusive tweet, Twitter will prompt them to describe ‘what is going on’ in the post.  

Users can report it for being suspicious or spam, as well as abusive or harmful. 

After selecting the abusive or harmful option, Twitter will show a range of descriptors, including that it ‘includes private information.’

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Selecting the private information option will then show a list of specifications, including contact information, home address or physical location, financial account information and a government-issued ID or ID number.

Now, when users report an offensive or abusive tweet, Twitter will prompt them to describe 'what is going on' in the post

They can report tweets for including contact information, home address or physical location, financial account information and a government-issued ID or ID number

Selecting the private information option will then show a list of specifications, including contact information, home address or physical location, financial account information and a government-issued ID or ID number.

The feature is available today on both Twitter’s website and mobile app. 

It will likely help Twitter prioritize which user reports are addressed first and escalate those that are most urgent. 

The move comes as Twitter has faced recent backlash over how it addresses hateful and abusive content on the site. 

Many have criticized the firm for being too slow to respond to user reports and for giving abusive accounts too many chances.  

But it has been rolling out more safety tools in recent months, including last October, when it gave users more options for designating spam tweets, as part of its efforts to crack down on bots.  

Additionally, last June, Twitter acquired online safety firm Smyte to bolster its anti-abuse efforts.   

WHAT IS TWITTER’S POLICY ON HATE SPEECH?

Twitter says it does not tolerate behaviour that harasses, intimidates, or uses fear to silence other social network users.

Twitter users that violate these rules could find their content deleted, or their access to the account suspended by the social network.

What does Twitter forbid?

According to the company, it will remove any tweets that do the following —

  • Threaten physical violence
  • Promote attacks on the basis of their race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease 
  • References to mass murder, violent events, or specific means of violence in which such groups are the primary targets or victims
  • Incites fear about a certain protected group
  • Repeated use of non-consensual slurs, epithets, racist and sexist tropes
  • Content designed to degrade a specific user     
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Twitter users can target individuals or specific groups in a number of manners, for example using the @ mention feature, or tagging a photo. 

How does Twitter enforce these rules?

According to the company, the first thing it does whenever an account or tweet is flagged as inappropriate is check the context.

Twitter says: ‘some Tweets may seem to be abusive when viewed in isolation, but may not be when viewed in the context of a larger conversation.

‘While we accept reports of violations from anyone, sometimes we also need to hear directly from the target to ensure that we have proper context.’

Twitter says the total number of reports received around an individual post or account does not impact whether or not something will be removed.

However, it could help Twitter prioritise the order in which it looks through flagged tweets and accounts.

What happens if you violate Twitter’s policy? 

The consequences for violating our rules will vary depending on the severity of the violation and the person’s previous record of violations, Twitter says. 

The penalties range from requesting a user voluntarily remove an offending tweet, to suspending an entire account. 



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