Twitter removes verified status from controversial users

[Deleted]

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-11-16/t...versial-users/

Twitter has removed blue ticks from a string of controversial users after criticism of the number of far-right figures who have verified status.

English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson and American white nationalist Richard Spencer were among those to lose their blue tick.

The symbol was introduced as a way to confirm the accounts of prominent people were genuine.

The social media platform said: "Verification has long been perceived as an endorsement. We gave verified accounts visual prominence on the service which deepened this perception.

"This perception became worse when we opened up verification for public submissions and verified people who we in no way endorse."

In July 2016, Twitter made it easier for anyone to apply for verified status by providing a verified email address, phone number, photo and other information.

This increased the number of verified users on the network, including those expressing far-right views.

Twitter suspended all new general verification of users on November 9 in response to a backlash over the verification of US far-right figure Jason Kessler.

Kessler organised the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville at which counter-protester Heather Heyer was killed in August.

On Wednesday, Twitter stripped a number of users of their blue ticks saying it would remove verification from accounts that do not meet new guidelines.

The new guidelines include a ban on promoting hate or threatening people on the basis of "race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability or disease".

Supporting organisations or individuals that promote these types of hatred are also at risk of losing verified status, it said.

In response to his de-verification, Mr Robinson wrote "the truth is now hate speech".

Meanwhile, Mr Kessler suggested the social media network changed its verification policy "just to be able to censor me".

Good about time Twitter

[Mister Cheese]

Wasn't an endorsement. It was to keep people from impersonating them. But all right. If twitter wants to keep jumping down the rabbit hole of stupidity.

[Deleted]

Wasn't an endorsement. It was to keep people from impersonating them. But all right. If twitter wants to keep jumping down the rabbit hole of stupidity.

Fascists and bigots are welcome to create their own Twitter and call it Twatters

[Doctor Amadeus]

Fuck them go Gabi or whatever the fuck else the Twitter knock off clone for loser white supremacist is.

[Cwimge]

How long until "controversial users" becomes 'anyone who questions/disagrees with us or our masters"

[Deleted]

How long until "controversial users" becomes 'anyone who questions/disagrees with us or our masters"

It's a private site and business who cares what rules they enforce? You're on MMOC for gods sake, the epitome of OTT censorship

[Tiwack]

Why re-conciliate when you can further alienate each other to the point of screaming obscenities from each requisite echo-chamber

Fascism101:
Keep all the love directed inwards and all hate directed outwards. Be very careful how you word any critique as you'll quickly find yourself on the other side of the fence if you don't surrender yourself to tribalism here now and embrace dear leader, lord and savior! /salute the current poster-boy on the wall so pure that they never have to take a shit or piss! Believe me! I just said it, fuck off if you don't believe it! That's right, fuck you! There's only love for the like-minded who know what's good for them! Leader will decide your fate and not even god can help you!

Any sort of censorship promotes this scary narrative as it's the same tactic they're using to fight the very same they want to get rid of. It's much easier for businesses to outright ban and censor than to care about the larger effects the behavior and how it's dealt with effects the rest of the Internet and society as a whole. They'll happily become the nazis if it means profitting for another couple of months/years and let the actual problem remain unsolved and become the problem of somebody else. As such the snake is doomed to eat it's own tail.

[Jimusmc]

twitter overlords bunch of fascists now eh

[Moralgy]

How long until "controversial users" becomes 'anyone who questions/disagrees with us or our masters"

Who would the "masters" be? I get the other part but really don't get that.

[crewskater]

Twitter is fighting fascists which they have become. Ironic much?

[WinningOne]

This is the kind of thing which shows how poorly thought out Twitter's plan is. First, they said they'd ban violators of the TOS but it appears the bans were one-sided. Now, they're removing the verified status of "controversial users" even though the check mark was never anything other than a way for popular users to indicate to their followers which account was real. By taking this step Twitter has changed the meaning of verified status and made a much clearer statement about the motivation behind their policy changes. They're really going to regret this latter on when users start complaining every time the verified status shows up on someone they don't like such as political figures, organizations, or celebrities. It's a private company and they can do what they want with their product but, if they're really so confident it's the right thing to do, then they should just admit what's really going on and the motivation behind it.

[Kaleredar]

I'll admit I don't really follow it closely but I've seen some articles in passing, but has Twitter ever actually made a profit?

I'm sure picking one side of the political spectrum to censor will help out a ton.

They'll lose those crucial white supremacist/neo nazi dollars.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Well this makes me tingle in funny places, I am going to go have a coke

[Zeek Daniels]

Fascists and bigots are welcome to create their own Twitter and call it Twatters

Actually now that they are unverified they can just claim someone else made the racist post.

[ComputerNerd]

The problem was promotion of verified accounts, without consideration for what was being promoted.
Arguable whether removal of the verification is the right approach, and I would say not.
But it is a step in the right direction, as far as the intent, even if not the best way to go about it.

I feel the better solution would have been to look at the promotion, adding in an additional status reflecting their content.
Though that would have been a very long process, and not had the quicker effect wanted here.

[GreenJesus]

As long as Twitter also makes toxic people on the left lose their verified status.

[Moralgy]

Everybody has their crazies, but there has been a serious uptick in one side of the aisle labeling anyone they disagree with some form of extremism that doesn't quite match ground-truth for the purpose of silencing them.

I mean, IDGAF about Twitter and never have, but buying into the left's overt flavor of fascism is a bold choice for a business struggling to survive.

Are they really suggesting that there are no such thing as radical lefties being verified on their platform? Only Nazis, huh?

Go report the radical lefties that are promoting hate and verified. Its better than bitching about "both sides" on this forum.

[Elba]

As long as Twitter also makes toxic people on the left lose their verified status.

For example?

[Jorgee]

Wouldn't it be a lot simpler and more prudent to just clearly reiterate that "The symbol was introduced as a way to confirm the accounts of prominent people were genuine".? It never was, nor was intended to be an endorsement to begin with. It's literally just a way for Twitter to confirm that yes, this is Donald Trump's official account and not some random guy in Ohio or wherever pretending to be him.

All this does is trigger the typical shitstorm debate on censorship, bias, and favouritism. As if we need things to get more polarizing than it already is.

[Elba]

They should just ban the Nazis and be done with it.