NET POLICY
Those who pay for Twitter Blue can spread hate and incitement almost undisturbed
The reported posts also included homophobic and anti-Semitic content. These all violate Twitter's own rules
June 5, 2023, 06:00
When Elon Musk finalized the takeover of Twitter last October, chaotic months began for the short message service. The multi-billionaire fired more than half of the staff and unceremoniously allowed users to buy the blue verification hook for eight dollars. A lack of control mechanisms and a massive downsizing of the moderation team at the time led to an interim rise in hate speech, anti-Semitism and attempted fraud.
In many respects, Twitter has now stabilized - at least if you ignore the fact that the company's value has plummeted to a third since Musk took over. After all, some advertisers have withdrawn from the platform so as not to be associated with harmful content. Despite its manageable success so far, Musk therefore has high hopes for the Twitter Blue paid subscription. However, this is struggling with worrying problems, as a new study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) shows.
Hate and incitement remained online
According to the NGO, paying users have the ability to spread hate and incitement almost undisturbed. Specifically, "Twitter would take no action on 99 percent of all hate messages posted by Twitter Blue subscribers." In other words, the platform would allow paying customers to violate its house rules - without fearing any consequences. On the contrary, "their toxic tweets would even be algorithmically amplified." By this, the CCDH means that Twitter Blue is advertised with, among other things, a better ranking in conversations and in search. Paying customers therefore usually receive a greater reach.
For the study, the researchers collected posts from 100 Twitter Blue accounts and reported them to the platform as hate speech. Four days later, however, 99 percent of the reported posts had neither been removed nor blocked. Moreover, all of the accounts behind the hate posts remained active, even when a post was removed, they said.
Clear violation of rules
Among the posts reported - and still available online - were racist, homophobic, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and conspiracy ideological content, according to the CCDH. The NGO's sample examined included the following statements:
June 5, 2023, 06:00
When Elon Musk finalized the takeover of Twitter last October, chaotic months began for the short message service. The multi-billionaire fired more than half of the staff and unceremoniously allowed users to buy the blue verification hook for eight dollars. A lack of control mechanisms and a massive downsizing of the moderation team at the time led to an interim rise in hate speech, anti-Semitism and attempted fraud.
In many respects, Twitter has now stabilized - at least if you ignore the fact that the company's value has plummeted to a third since Musk took over. After all, some advertisers have withdrawn from the platform so as not to be associated with harmful content. Despite its manageable success so far, Musk therefore has high hopes for the Twitter Blue paid subscription. However, this is struggling with worrying problems, as a new study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) shows.
Hate and incitement remained online
According to the NGO, paying users have the ability to spread hate and incitement almost undisturbed. Specifically, "Twitter would take no action on 99 percent of all hate messages posted by Twitter Blue subscribers." In other words, the platform would allow paying customers to violate its house rules - without fearing any consequences. On the contrary, "their toxic tweets would even be algorithmically amplified." By this, the CCDH means that Twitter Blue is advertised with, among other things, a better ranking in conversations and in search. Paying customers therefore usually receive a greater reach.
For the study, the researchers collected posts from 100 Twitter Blue accounts and reported them to the platform as hate speech. Four days later, however, 99 percent of the reported posts had neither been removed nor blocked. Moreover, all of the accounts behind the hate posts remained active, even when a post was removed, they said.
Clear violation of rules
Among the posts reported - and still available online - were racist, homophobic, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and conspiracy ideological content, according to the CCDH. The NGO's sample examined included the following statements:
- "The black community has done more damage [than] the Klan ever did."
- "The Jew mafia wants to replace us all with brown people."
- "Diversity is a code word for white genocide."
- "Hitler was right," accompanied by a montage of the former dictator.
- Black people belong "locked in cages in the zoo."
- LGBTQI+ rights activists need "IRON IN THEIR DIET. Preferably from an #AFiringSquad."
These postings remained online, despite Twitter's own rules on hate and incitement clarifying that users "may not directly attack others based on their ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious medical condition." The platform's mission is to "give everyone the ability to create and share ideas and information, and express their opinions and beliefs without barriers," according to the Twitter website.
Not surprisingly
The Center for Countering Digital Hate has addressed hate speech on Twitter several times in the past. The current findings are therefore not surprising, the NGO writes. As part of studies on anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate on Twitter, it "found that the platform does not respond to 89 percent and 97 percent of posts, respectively."
"The blue checkmark on Twitter used to be a sign of authority and authenticity, but now it is inextricably linked to the spread of hate and conspiracy myths," CCDH head Imran Ahmed commented on the investigation. Elon Musk would not care about the "civil and human rights of blacks, Jews, Muslims, and LGBTQI+ people" as long as he could charge eight dollars a month for Twitter Blue.
Musk and conspiracy myths
At the end of May, it was announced that Twitter had left the EU's voluntary Code of Conduct on Combating Disinformation. This requires participating companies to provide regular progress reports. Musk, however, has repeatedly been implicated in spreading conspiracy myths and disinformation himself. Most recently, he served up right-wing agitation and attacked George Soros. Last October, he also spurred a conspiracy narrative to attack Paul Pelosi, that is, the husband of U.S. Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
At least in the European Union, the current approach could soon become costly for Twitter. As of August 25, particularly powerful tech companies (including Twitter) will have to comply with the Digital Services Act. The act obliges platforms to take a much stricter approach to hate and incitement, always under threat of fines of up to six percent of annual revenue. Twitter should not be able to afford too many violations at the moment. (mick, 5.6.2023)
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Not surprisingly
The Center for Countering Digital Hate has addressed hate speech on Twitter several times in the past. The current findings are therefore not surprising, the NGO writes. As part of studies on anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate on Twitter, it "found that the platform does not respond to 89 percent and 97 percent of posts, respectively."
"The blue checkmark on Twitter used to be a sign of authority and authenticity, but now it is inextricably linked to the spread of hate and conspiracy myths," CCDH head Imran Ahmed commented on the investigation. Elon Musk would not care about the "civil and human rights of blacks, Jews, Muslims, and LGBTQI+ people" as long as he could charge eight dollars a month for Twitter Blue.
Musk and conspiracy myths
At the end of May, it was announced that Twitter had left the EU's voluntary Code of Conduct on Combating Disinformation. This requires participating companies to provide regular progress reports. Musk, however, has repeatedly been implicated in spreading conspiracy myths and disinformation himself. Most recently, he served up right-wing agitation and attacked George Soros. Last October, he also spurred a conspiracy narrative to attack Paul Pelosi, that is, the husband of U.S. Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
At least in the European Union, the current approach could soon become costly for Twitter. As of August 25, particularly powerful tech companies (including Twitter) will have to comply with the Digital Services Act. The act obliges platforms to take a much stricter approach to hate and incitement, always under threat of fines of up to six percent of annual revenue. Twitter should not be able to afford too many violations at the moment. (mick, 5.6.2023)
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