Twitter has rolled out a new tool that will make it easier for users to report threatening or harassing tweets to the local authorities.
The new tool has been incorporated into the existing process for flagging abusive content or tweets on the micro-blogging site. After reporting abusive or threatening content to Twitter, users receive an emailed summary of the report, which includes the flagged tweet and its URL along with the user name and account URL of the person who posted it. Twitter users will now be able to email that report it to the local law enforcement.
Twitter said in a blog post, “While we take threats of violence seriously and will suspend responsible accounts when appropriate, we strongly recommend contacting your local law enforcement if you’re concerned about your physical safety.”
Last year, Twitter partnered with non-profit advocacy organization Women, Action, and the Media (Wam) to tackle online harassment of women. WAM has created an online form that lets "users report gendered harassment details that have never before been tracked and analyzed." The company made the move after reports of cyber bullying increased and a recent study revealed that 26% of women aged between 18 and 24 have been stalked online and approximately 25% have been targets of online sexual harassment. Twitter recently updated its privacy guidelines to address revenge porn and stolen nude images that are being used without the users permission.
Earlier this week, social networking site Facebook also made changes to its community standards guidelines. According to a blog post, Facebook may remove or restrict access to content because it breaches a law in a particular country even though it doesn't violate the company's guidelines.
Source: Twitter