Twitter prohibits sharing of personal photos and videos without consent

Twitter released this Tuesday (30) new rules to prevent users from sharing private images of others without their consent, tightening the social network’s policies a day after the change of its CEO.

Under the new rules, users who are not public figures can ask Twitter to delete photos and videos with their images posted without permission.

Twitter clarified that the measure does not apply to “public figures or individuals when media and accompanying tweet text are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse.”

“We will always try to assess the context of the content being shared, and in those cases we can allow the images and videos to remain on the service,” the company added.

The right of internet users to resort to platforms when third parties publish images or information about them, especially for malicious purposes, has been debated for years.

Twitter has already banned the publication of private information, such as a person’s phone numbers and addresses, but there are “growing concerns” about using content to “harass, intimidate and reveal identities,” the social network acknowledged.

In addition, the company noted a “disproportionate effect on women, activists, dissidents and members of minority communities.”

Well-known examples of online harassment include victims of racism, misogyny and homophobia on Twitch, the world’s largest video game streaming platform.

However, cases of harassment abound and victims often have to fight long battles to eliminate abusive, offensive or illegally produced images from virtual platforms.

The move comes a day after Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey announced he was leaving the company and handed over the directorship to CEO Parag Agrawal.

The platform, like other social networks, has been fighting harassment, misinformation and hate-motivated content.