On Monday night, Twitter informed members of its Trust and Safety Council that it was officially disbanding in an email obtained by CNN. The company said in the email that it was “re-evaluating how to incorporate external insight into its product lifecycle and policies.” Ultimately, after much deliberation, it concluded that the Trust and Safety Council was not the best way to achieve that goal.
Elon Musk ’s acquisition of Twitter resulted in the elimination of many previously in place programs and regulations. One such initiative was an advisory board made up of outside organizations whose goal was to address issues such as child exploitation, suicide prevention, mental health awareness, digital rights, and more. The page on Twitter ’s website that conveyed this information has now been removed—but before it was removed, it stated that these experts would “advise us as we develop our products” while also advocating for online safety.
See also: Elon Musk: Twitter will notify you if your account is shadowbanned
Despite claims by Tesla Elon Musk CEO , three members of the board resigned from their volunteer positions in protest, arguing that Twitter ’s user welfare was being diminished. The company quickly responded by disbanding the board just days later, saying it was not up to one executive to dictate cybersecurity standards. Reacting to news of their departure, Musk tweeted: “ It ’s outrageous that they have neglected to combat child exploitation for so many years!” That tweet prompted several remaining board members to write a letter asking Twitter to stop inaccurately portraying the board’s role, as attacks on current and former board members became increasingly hostile.
The Trust and Safety Council is comprised of external advisors from well-known organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, YAKIN (Youth Adult Survivors & Kin in Need), the Samaritans, and GLAAD. These members are not employed by Twitter to moderate content—instead, they use their knowledge and experience to help Twitter develop strategies that combat hate speech and harassment on its platform. By dedicating their time to this cause, these individuals have become part of a powerful force driving positive change online. Twitter created the council in 2016 with a commitment to ensuring that “everyone, anywhere, can express themselves safely and confidently,” striving to create an online environment of positivity.
See also: Report: Twitter Blue on iOS will be priced at $11/month
Only time will tell whether the dissolution of the Trust and Safety Council will have a negative impact on reducing cyberbullying or other forms of harassment that occur on Twitter. However, one thing is certain: without an external force regulating the safety protocols on the platform, there is a possibility that more harm than good will come from this decision. Therefore, it is important now more than ever for users to be aware of digital footprint so that they can better protect themselves from harassment or exploitation when using social media platforms like Twitter.
Source: edition.cnn.com
