Twitter has revised its policies on “abuse and harassment” in the wake of concerns that tech providers should be doing more to combat the Islamic State.
“Today, as part of our continued efforts to combat abuse, we’re updating the Twitter Rules to clarify what we consider to be abusive behaviour and hateful conduct,” the company said in a blog post on Wednesday. “The updated language emphasizes that Twitter will not tolerate behavior intended to harass, intimidate or use fear to silence another user’s voice.”
The changes include a provision on “hateful conduct” prohibiting accounts “whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others.”
Since the terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 and in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2, concern has grown that the Islamic State has been allowed to disseminate propaganda on social media too freely. One party to the San Bernardino attack reportedly posted messages on Facebook praising the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, while at least one perpetrator in Paris had a Facebook connection who posed with decapitated bodies. Speaking to the scale of the problem, a March Brookings Institution study suggested there were 46,000 active Twitter accounts associated with the Islamic State.
On Dec. 16, the House passed legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security to develop a “strategy to combat terrorists’ and terrorist organizations’ use of social media.” An additional proposal in that chamber would require DHS to screen the social media accounts of applicants for visas to the U.S.
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Presidential candidates have also expressed support for policies that would deter terrorist elements online. “We’re losing a lot of people because of the Internet,” leading Republican Donald Trump said in early December, adding that the solution was “maybe in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some way.
“Somebody will say, ‘Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.’ These are foolish people. We have a lot of foolish people,” Trump said.
Leading Democrat Hillary Clinton struck a similar note days earlier, saying that the Islamic State had become “the most effective recruiter in the world” and calling on tech providers to end their ability to communicate. Nonetheless, she also noted, “You are going to hear all the familiar complaints [about] ‘freedom of speech.'”
If Twitter has been at all unnerved by the attention social media providers have garnered from regulators in Washington over the last couple of months, Wednesday’s action may help to assuage the tension.
“Keeping users safe requires a comprehensive and balanced approach where everyone plays a role,” the company concludes in its post. “We will continue to build on these initiatives to empower our users and ensure that Twitter remains a platform for people to express themselves.”
