Twitter Could Label Newsworthy Tweets That Violate Its Terms

Twitter is thinking about slapping a label on tweets that violate its terms of service but it may want to keep them on the platform because that might be in the public interest. For example, if a prominent politician tweets something that may go against the terms of service, Twitter may label the tweet as such but may not remove it because of its news value.

That’s according to the company’s head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde who told the Washington Post that the label would provide some context about such a tweet “so that people are aware that that content is actually a violation of our rules and it is serving a particular purpose in remaining on the platform.”

Twitter’s rules do allow for a newsworthiness exemption so tweets from people that are deemed notable enough do stay on the platform even if they might have been removed if they were posted by a regular user. This label that’s being considered would serve to clarify this disparity that the tweets in violation have not been removed simply because of their news value.

Gadde did add that Twitter does not provide a blanket exception to anyone for tweets that go against its terms. The platform will continue to take down tweets that cross red lines. “An example would be a direct violent threat against an individual that we wouldn’t leave on the platform because of the danger it poses to that individual,” she said.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: Twitter