Twitter announced that it will delete tweets that dehumanize religious groups
Twitter announced that it has updated its policies to prevent hate speech directed at religious group.
"Our primary focus is on addressing the risks of offline harm, and research* shows that dehumanizing language increases that risk. As a result, after months of conversations and feedback from the public, external experts and our own teams, we’re expanding our rules against hateful conduct to include language that dehumanizes others on the basis of religion," the company wrote on its Twitter Safety blog.
The company stated that it require tweets that target specific religious groups and remove it from Twitter when it is reported to them.
According to Twitter, last year, it asked for feedback to ensure that it considered a wide range of perspectives and to hear directly from the different communities and cultures who use Twitter around the globe.
In two weeks, they received more than 8,000 responses from people located in more than 30 countries and these responses made the company decide to focus on religious groups.
The company added how it works that any tweets that dehumanize people because of their religious alignment — such as referring to them as “rats,” “viruses,” and “filthy animals” — will not be allowed as part of this new update.
"We’ll continue to build Twitter for the global community it serves and ensure your voices help shape our rules, product, and how we work. As we look to expand the scope of this change, we’ll update you on what we learn and how we address it within our rules. We’ll also continue to provide regular updates on all of the other work we’re doing to make Twitter a safer place for everyone @TwitterSafety," said Twitter.
Written by: Gabriella Steyn.
Guzzle Media
