The Trust & Safety Council, a group of about 100 independent researchers and human rights activists, was disbanded by Twitter today. The group, which was formed in 2016, provided input to the social network on a variety of content and human rights-related issues, including the removal of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), suicide prevention, and online safety. Because the group included experts from all over the world, this could have ramifications for Twitter’s global content moderation.
According to multiple reports, the members of the council received an email from Twitter on Monday stating that the council is “not the best structure” for obtaining external insights into the company’s product and policy strategy. While the company stated that it will “continue to welcome” ideas from council members, there was no assurance that they would be considered. Given that the advisory group formed to provide ideas has been disbanded, it’s a case of “thanks, but no thanks.”
