Twitter has announced that since mid-2015 they have clipped the wings of over 125,000 twitter accounts advocating or promoting terrorist acts.
Most accounts primarily relating to ISIS (the self-named Islamic State), have been flooding the social media platform. With the tail end of 2014 seeing 46,000 accounts advocating terrorism, now the numbers are in the hundred thousands. The number of closed accounts themselves represent these numbers tripling. This in direct correlation to the rise of ISIS in the middle east.
Since mid-2015, we have suspended over 125,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist acts. Read more here: https://t.co/FQJeOTtPLz
— Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) February 5, 2016
While we can look at this in a negative light, seeing that the numbers have been skyrocketing with terrorist activities on the platform. This also represents the reassurance that Twitter is taking these threats seriously, and seemingly on top of the issue.
With more than 500 million users around the world, it can be extremely difficult to regulate this type of activity. But it seems that Twitter is up for the challenge.
How Does Twitter Decide?
Questions remain however, what is terrorism and who decides something is terrorism? Where individuals and geographic locations see terrorism in different lights and definitions, do we limit terrorism to ISIS or do we expand the definition to encompass fascist tweets? Or anti-woman statements, anti-Israeli statements, anti-[insert ideology here]?
Social media platforms along with a many other tech industries have been under constant pressure to work with governments both federal and foreign. Which leads down a road not too many consumers will happily travel.
Twitter admits to aiding law enforcement as well as other agencies and organizations “when appropriate“.
Facebook also is taking a more assertive stance towards these issues, with a revised Community Standards terms and agreements. Which has a dedicated section addressing “dangerous organizations”, which would include “terrorist activity, organized criminal activity or promoting hate.”
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