Twitter Limits Content-Enforcement Tools as US Election Looms

[Tactical Peek]

Source: Bloomberg/


Twitter Limits Content-Enforcement Tools as US Election Looms

Kurt Wagner, Ed Ludlow, Jackie Davalos and Davey Alba
Mon, October 31, 2022 at 8:07 PM

(Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc., the social network being overhauled by new owner Elon Musk, has frozen some employee access to internal tools used for content moderation and other policy enforcement, curbing the staff’s ability to clamp down on misinformation ahead of a major US election.

Most people who work in Twitter’s Trust and Safety organization are currently unable to alter or penalize accounts that break rules around misleading information, offensive posts and hate speech, except for the most high-impact violations that would involve real-world harm, according to people familiar with the matter. Those posts were prioritized for manual enforcement, they said.

People who were on call to enforce Twitter’s policies during Brazil’s presidential election did get access to the internal tools on Sunday, but in a limited capacity, according to two of the people. The company is still utilizing automated enforcement technology, and third-party contractors, according to one person, though the highest-profile violations are typically reviewed by Twitter employees.

San Francisco-based Twitter declined to comment on new limits placed on its content-moderation tools.



Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/twitter-limits-content-enforcement-tools-010753209.html

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SIFUABS

[iluvtennis]

1. Wow, Musk is just gonna let all of the misinformation thrive. Just like a MAGAt.

[Deuxcents]

2. My question is..

Since Twitter is international, won’t they have to abide by laws/restrictions from other countries? It can’t be a free for all everywhere, can it?

[cstanleytech]

4. To a degree but as a private company he will have less oversight so he can use it as

he sees fit.

[NullTuples]

6. The countries that can will block it. Some might fine the company, but if it has no presence there?

[reACTIONary]

13. According to news reports...

... Musk personally talked to the EU official who is in charge of such things and promised that Twitter would obey their laws.

Their laws may not be as restrictive as Twitter's own content moderation, however.

[summer_in_TX]

3. Looks like Common Cause's effort to have

volunteers counter misinformation and flag disinformation on the social media platform(s) of their choice is just in time.

I'm too far from the cities in my county that are likely to be faced with Election suppression efforts to volunteer for in-person poll monitoring.

Luckily there's online poll monitoring to do.

Anyone interested in joining that effort canhttps://mobilize.us/s/RibQI6/r

[NullTuples]

7. The point of the article is effectively there is no more flagging on Twitter.

[summer_in_TX]

8. My point was that citizens' flagging on Twitter

anyway can be surprisingly effective. That's apparently what was behind Musk taking down his disgusting retweet saying there was only a "tiny chance" of the conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi being true.

A whole bunch of folks complained apparently.

[NullTuples]

23. That wasn't flagging, it was retweeting and the media picking up on it outside of Twitter.

[summer_in_TX]

25. I realize I was but one of many, many pushing back.

It takes all of us, using all of our channels.

I personally flagged it and I feel sure many others did too; others quote tweeted and commented on the indecency. However it happened, I'm glad Musk deleted it.

He's a menace. I don't know what I'll do after the election. Between now and then, I'll be a democracy advocate online and volunteer with Election Protection and Common Cause.

[NullTuples]

26. Flagging is no longer viable on Twitter; the employees tasked with reading flags are locked out.

That was ostensibly why Musk brought in a handful of Tesla software devs on day one. By yesterday, the employees of the safety and security (or is it trust and safety? anyway...) group were locked out from doing anything about flagged tweets except in instances of immediate danger.

[summer_in_TX]

27. I haven't tried to flag anything since that one.

Hadn't realized the genius had removed it.

[NullTuples]

28. You can still flag; there's just nobody to review it any more.

They're the ones he locked out.

[summer_in_TX]

31. Oh of course.

Ugh.

[Ford_Prefect]

5. I said it elsewhere and I have no doubt others have as well: Twitter is about to become the online

propaganda tool for the Libertarian elite, and an open sewer of white racist filth. Along with becoming a free-fire zone for Q-trash and Russian disinformation bots, it will certainly be a venue for any vicious gossip you can imagine about Democrats, LGBTQ+, POC, and for all I know the Loch Ness Monster.

[Polybius]

16. Or it will just become what it once was before 2020

Even David Duke himself wasn't banned until July 2020.

[Ford_Prefect]

18. You have a point indeed. My estimation is that Musk will turn that up to eleven.

[Mawspam2]

9. Twitter is the new MySpace.

Advertisers well flee. His grand plan to charge subscriptions for blue checks will chase top users away. The people he just fired will all team up to build a new platform just to fuck that guy.

Bonesaw bin Salman will invite Erratic Elon for a private lunch at the Turkish Embassy once he blows all his money.

[PortTack]

11. Hope you are right! I don't think he cares if he makes money. He wants to use this platform to

Wield influence over American politics. Just like his big financial backers to saudis.

[turbinetree]

10. Maybe its time that somewhere somehow......that this new shit show gets regulated....

I cannot go into a movie theater and yell fire just so that I can get a good seat....I cannot go unto a plane and beat the crap out of a flight attendant or pilot, because they technically are on federal property.....or anyone else on the plane.....I can not drive a vehicle, because it is not a "right" it is a privilege.......JFC.....

[reACTIONary]

14. Speaking freely...

... IS a right. It is not a privilege, it is a RIGHT.

[turbinetree]

19. Free speech is a privilege

[reACTIONary]

24. Not according to the constitution and to..

.. liberal democratic values. Contrary to anti-liberal, authoritarian, extremist sentiments.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. With large and broad public changes to the platform, the crash will be epic and soon

Recall Ron Johnson and J.C. Penney

Twitter is finished, it's only a matter of a few months.

[Bengus81]

15. When the advertisers jump ship so goes Musk

No one believes that "free speech" BS he's spouting. Bet posts trash talking his beloved cars would be quickly deleted. What will take him and that hate forum down will be advertisers leaving and taking millions of advertising $$$ elsewhere.

Kanye can tell everyone how that works.

[Ziggysmom]

17. Definitely. I'm so happy to see the big companies denounce Kanye. Public pressure can

make a difference when $$$ is involved. Most lib friends of mine who in the past bought or considered buying a Tesla are looking at different brands. People will only eat so much crap, and this country has been over fed for years now.

[Delphinus]

20. Translation:

Sh*t is F*cked up and ???

[Martin68]

21. Here we go!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

22. Of course they do

[BlueIdaho]

29. Twitter reaches shit hole dumpster fire status in record time.

Nothing left to do but walk away.

[Gordolfon]

30. The advertising will share the blame for this

if they do not pull out of Twitter soon