Twitter has updated its privacy policy to make it possible to delete images of people who have been posted without their consent, the company said in a statement. third blog post.
Under its current policy, the social media giant prohibits the release of people’s personal information, including addresses, phone numbers, identification, and medical records.
It has now said it has added “private media” to the list, as sharing those materials can be used to “harass, intimidate and reveal the identities of individuals”. .”
“Sharing personal media, such as images or videos, can violate a person’s privacy and may result in mental or physical harm,” the company said.
“The misuse of the private media can affect everyone, but can have a disproportionate impact on women, activists, dissidents and activists.” members of minority communities,” it added.
Before removing an image or video, Twitter said, it will request a first-person report or a report from an authorized representative to determine whether the individual consented to sharing.
Once Twitter confirms that private media has been shared without permission, it will then proceed to remove it from the platform, the company said.
It added that the policy changes do not apply when there is a public interest at stake or in an emergency situation.
This policy does not apply to media featuring public figures or individuals where the media and accompanying Tweet text are shared for the public benefit or to add value to the speech. of the public,” the company said.
“We’ve noticed that there are instances where account holders may share photos or videos of private individuals in an attempt to help someone involved in a crisis situation, such as after a violent event. force or as part of a credible event due to publicly available interest rates and this may outweigh the safety risk to a person,” it added.
The new measures, which went into effect globally on Tuesday, have drawn criticism from users that the changes are too immediate and could lead to excessive censorship.
The company later clarified the changes in a series of tweets – adding that images and videos showing public events including large rallies and sporting events would largely not violate the policy. book.
Context matters. Our current personal information policy includes many exceptions to allow robust reporting of trusted events and conversations that are well known to the public, the company said. interested,” the company said.
“We’ll look at whether the image is publicly available and/or being covered by journalists – or if a particular image and accompanying Tweet text add value to the presentation. of the public – is being shared for the public good or is relevant to the community,” the company added.
However, some users continued to voice their concerns, questioning the ambiguity of the policy updates.
“Data protection and privacy laws generally protect public interest reporting, Twitter @Policy. How would you recommend ensuring the same balance in your new policies?”, one person user tweeted.
“So, does Twitter’s new policy effectively mean that street photography is no longer allowed? This shows a big problem with well-intentioned, overarching policies. about deletion,” wrote another on Twitter.
Twitter’s move comes as social media companies face increasing scrutiny over how they protect users.
In September, Instagram announced it was planning to develop a version of its product aimed at children under the age of 13, following revelations that the social media platform was potentially harmful to children.
Similarly, Meta, the parent company of both Facebook and Instagram, said in November that it plans to restrict advertisers from targeting users based on certain sensitive categories.
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