Twitter Changes Harassment Policy In Response To Robin Williams Death
Las Vegas, NV, September 18, 2014 (Newswire.com) - In late August, Twitter made a policy change allowing family members to request the removal of pictures and videos of their loved ones. Twitter stated that all requests should be made to privacy@twitter.com to be considered.
The policy change is in response to Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda Williams. She was forced to deactivate her Twitter account after being endlessly harassed by the public. The company explained that it considers public interest and not all requests will honored.
The complaint from Zelda Williams wasn’t the first time Twitter received backlash for their policies. Twitter released a statement to the public promising to “improve policies to better handle tragic situations like this one.”
Although Twitter is finally taking a step in the right direction, experts think that the company has ignited a PR landmine. Users complaining about the harassment policies on Twitter isn’t a new thing. In fact, it happens every day. It’s unfortunate that the company didn’t attempt to improve it until after it occurred to a celebrity.
Also, their statement didn’t provide any concrete examples of how they are going to take steps to change it. The email may be helpful for some, but it’s likely most of the responses will simply get ignored.
Twitter did not too long ago start allowing users to block other profiles. However, this isn’t always effective. One Twitter user claimed that every time she blocked the man harassing her, he would simply create a new account.
Twitter is committed to the freedom of expression. That freedom is coming at a cost to users though. The court of public opinion found Twitter guilty for ignoring harassment complaints. Experts believe that in order for the social network to stay popular, it is going to have to make real improvements soon.
For more information about social media updates and policy changes, contact Raptor Websites at 702.907.0095. Visit the website at www.raptorwebsites.com or in-person at 3627 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89169.
