Social media platform Twitter threatens to block links that spread hate speech and violence with its updated policies.
Currently, the social media platform's policies ban hateful conduct and violence in tweets, but linked content is not included. Thus, users link the content to go around Twitter's rules and avoid being flagged.
However, Twitter said in a tweet on Tuesday, July 28, that it has updated its link policy as they continue to address harmful content.
Twitter's new policies will be effective on July 30. The company will block links that promote hate speech and violence from being shared on Twitter. It also vows to suspend accounts that repeatedly share malicious links.
"Our goal is to block links in a way that's consistent with how we remove Tweets that violate our rules," Twitter wrote in a statement.
We’ve clarified our approach to reducing the amount of harmful content on Twitter from outside sources. Here’s an outline of the types of links we may block, and how we identify them to help keep you safe from malicious URLs: https://t.co/MhlSMJoxXs — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) March 23, 2020
In June, Twitter launched a new feature that asks users if they already read the article before retweeting it as it tries to deal with fake news and misinformation amid the coronavirus pandemic. It also announced that it deactivated "more than "170,000 Beijing-backed accounts" that spread misinformation about coronavirus.
Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it. To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first. — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) June 10, 2020
Also, Tech Times reported that Twitter has joined the crackdown against bots and fake accounts that are used to manipulate discussions and other malicious causes.
What's New with Twitter Policies?
To avoid links about hate speech and violent content from spreading in the social media platform, Twitter will either show a notification when the link is clicked or block the link to avoid it from being retweeted. These links include malicious and spammy links.
According to the updated policies, malicious links include those containing or leading to malware and phishing attempts. These have a high risk of stealing personal information or damaging electronic devices. On the other hand, spammy links tend to mislead people or disrupt their online experience. These include links that redirect people to an unexpected destination, manipulation campaigns platform, shortened URL that is used to deceive people about the content as well as those that are involved in affiliate and clickjacking.
Twitter was able to identify links using a combination of factors including spam and malware countering third-party vendors, industry peers, and trusted NGO partners shared information, Internal technology and tools, and tweets reported by users.
When Twitter users include a blocked link on their tweet or direct message, the will see an error message that reads: "You can't complete this action because this link has been identified by Twitter or our partners as being potentially harmful. Please visit our Help Center to learn more."
Also, accounts that frequently share these types of content will be accordingly administered and may face suspension. Meanwhile, Twitter also has zero-tolerance on sharing links such as child sexual exploitation content and will automatically suspend the account that shared such a link.
Meanwhile, if in case a certain link is miscategorized, users are encouraged to report it directly to Twitter by filling out this form and inserting the URL on the "problematic link" field.
