Twitter is making a significant change to its account suspension policy starting on February 1.
Per an announcement from the Twitter Safety team, users will be able to appeal account suspensions for evaluations based on new criteria for reinstatement.
As we shared earlier, we have been proactively reinstating previously suspended accounts. Starting February 1, anyone can appeal an account suspension and be evaluated under our new criteria for reinstatement. https://t.co/2MR8yonMlM
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 28, 2023
Twitter notes that it’s taking a more nuanced approach to policy violations, opting for less severe actions such as limiting the reach of individual tweets rather than removing accounts.
From now on, Twitter will only suspend accounts for severe or ongoing, repeat violations of its policies.
Examples of severe violations include, but are not limited to, engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, privacy violations, platform manipulation or spam, and targeted harassment of users.
Twitter is proactively reinstating previously suspended accounts and has clarified that accounts that engaged in illegal activity, threats of harm or violence, large-scale spam, and platform manipulation will not be reinstated.
The company’s new account suspension approach aims to balance promoting healthy online discussions while protecting users from harm.
Twitter hopes these changes will provide a fairer and more transparent way for users to reinstate their accounts, which it didn’t offer before.
Users are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new criteria and to appeal their suspensions if they feel that their accounts were suspended unjustly.
On rare occasions, Twitter may permit controversial content or behavior that might otherwise violate its policies to remain on the site because it thinks the public is interested in seeing both sides of an issue.
A cross-functional team evaluates each circumstance individually before making a decision.
The potential influence on the general public, the source of the content, and the availability of alternative coverage of an event are some elements that Twitter considers when making content decisions.
Twitter’s enforcement philosophy is documented on this help page.
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