Twitter updated it privacy policy this morning to stop sharing images or videos of private individuals without their consent. The platform has already banned users from sharing others’ personal data without permission, such as their address or location, identity documents, non-public contact information, financial information or medical records. But this update makes these anti-harassment and anti-dox policies more robust.
This does not mean that Twitter will seek consent from all individuals in a photo or video before it is posted. But if a featured person wants the media removed, Twitter will remove it.
“When we are notified by featured individuals, or an authorized representative, that they have not consented to having their private image or video shared, we will remove it,” Twitter wrote. Updating. “This policy is not applicable to media featuring public figures or individuals when the media and accompanying Tweet text is shared in the public interest or adds value to public discourse.”
But in the case of public figures, Twitter clarified that it can remove content intended to harass in accordance with its existing policies against abusive behavior, which also prohibit the sharing of non-consensual nude images. The company also says that when deciding whether to remove content about public figures, it will assess whether that information is already available in other public media, such as TV and newspapers.
However, many Twitter users took to the platform to express their concerns about this new policy. They wondered if that meant you couldn’t post a photo of a crowd at a football game without getting consent from each individual, for example, and worried that the policy could be used to silence users. So Twitter Safety added the notification thread a few hours later to address the concerns.
“Let’s unpack what that means,” the account read. “This policy update will help curb the misuse of the media to harass, intimidate and reveal the identities of private individuals, which disproportionately affects women, activists, dissidents and members of minority communities.”
Twitter went on to explain that images and videos showing people attending large events will not violate the policy. When media is reported by someone in the image, or an authorized representative of that person, Twitter will consider whether to tweet “adds value to public discourse” before making a decision to delete the post. However, critics responded with concerns about how Twitter decides what content adds value.
“Context matters. Our existing privacy policy includes many exceptions in order to enable robust reporting on newsworthy events and conversations that are of public interest,” the application wrote.
Update 11/21/30 1:55 PM EST with follow-up tweets from Twitter Security
