Twitter restores suicide prevention feature after backlash

Twitter restores suicide prevention feature after backlash

Twitter’s head of belief and security Ella Irwin had mentioned the characteristic was “temporarily removed” whereas they had been working to repair prompts.

Two people familiar with the matter said the removal was ordered by the social media platform's owner Elon Musk.
Two folks conversant in the matter mentioned the elimination was ordered by the social media platform’s proprietor Elon Musk.
(AA Archive)

Twitter Inc has restored a
characteristic that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and different
security assets to customers wanting up sure content material.

The transfer on Saturday got here following stress from some customers and client security teams
over its elimination.

Its elimination had led some client security teams and Twitter customers to specific considerations concerning the well-being of weak customers of the platform.

The characteristic was reportedly taken down just a few days in the past, in line with two folks conversant in the matter, who mentioned the elimination was ordered by the social media platform’s proprietor Elon Musk.

Twitter head of belief and
security Ella Irwin had confirmed the elimination, saying: “We have been fixing and revamping our prompts. They had been simply
quickly eliminated whereas we do this”.

She added, “We know these prompts are helpful in lots of circumstances and simply wish to ensure that they’re functioning correctly and proceed to be related”.

About 15 hours after the characteristic was reported lacking, Musk, who didn’t
initially reply to requests for remark, tweeted “False, it’s
nonetheless there”.

In response to criticism by Twitter customers, he
additionally tweeted “Twitter doesn’t prevent suicide”.

READ MORE: Musk to resign as Twitter CEO as soon as he finds his successor

‘Profoundly disturbing’

The characteristic, generally known as #ThereIsHelp, positioned a banner on the
high of search outcomes for sure subjects.

It listed contacts for
help organizations in lots of nations associated to psychological
well being, HIV, vaccines, youngster sexual exploitation, Covid-19,
pure disasters and freedom of
expression.

Eirliani Abdul Rahman, who had been on a lately dissolved Twitter content material advisory group, mentioned the disappearance of #ThereIsHelp was “extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing”.

READ MORE: Twitter ‘helped’ Pentagon with secret on-line marketing campaign in Middle East

Even if it was solely quickly eliminated to make approach for enhancements, “normally you would be working on it in parallel, not removing it,” she mentioned.

In half as a result of stress from client security teams,
web companies together with Twitter, Alphabet’s Google
and Meta’s Facebook have for years tried to direct
customers to well-known useful resource suppliers reminiscent of authorities
hotlines once they suspect somebody could also be at risk of harming
themselves or others.

Source: Reuters

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