Social media giant Twitter has declared war on the phenomenon of revenge porn through an update of the site’s terms of use.
A Tuesday night update on its “Content Boundaries and Use of Twitter” part of rules sections posted on their site added intimate photos/videos to the list of other people’s private information that users are forbidden to post on the service. Users that are reported breaking this rule will have their accounts suspended after the claimant verifies his identity and proves his ownership/lack of consent over the images or videos involving him or her.
The rule is actually meant to combat the already widespread use of “revenge porn” – the posting of sexually explicit photos/video of another person in retaliation of real life or virtual arguments. This also comes in the context of Twitter being one of the primary mediums through which last fall’s avalanche of leaked nude celebrity photos spread.
Such content can easily be spread around the social media platform’s millions of user through the use of hashtags, which can also be used to promote activity not compliant with the site’s rules. Particularly, a #purge phenomenon that happened last July promoted widespread disobedience of the site rules and prompted an increase in revenge porn posts (the hashtag having taken its name from a 2013 movie of the same name in which all crimes are permitted for a night).
This is part of a wider issue that the Silicon Valley social media giant faces, which is having tough times dealing with cyberbullying and personal threats. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo himself declared his disappointment at how the company is handling the situation, while taking full responsibility for it and promising a more active stance in the future.
Twitter states on its site that it has about 288 million monthly users, but accurate statistics about the spread of cyberbullying and revenge porn on the site are not available. The site came under negative publicity when during the “Gamergate” scandal several video game producers/critics stating their opinions on the matter came under threats of physical abuse, sexual assault or death from dozens of users. The trend spread quickly under #gamergate and resulted in the posting of several of the victims’ private information on the site (such as mobile number, home address etc.).
Image Source: UCR Today
Ray Gordon says
As usual, until it happens to women, no one gievs a shit.