According to users people with knowledge of the matter, Elon Musk has ordered the removal of a Twitter feature that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety options to users seeking specific content.
Musk orders removal of Twitter feature that pushed suicide prevention hotlines and other safety option for users
The feature, known as #ThereIsHelp, was withdrawn without any previous notice. It is connected to support groups for mental health, HIV, vaccinations, child sexual exploitation, COVID-19, gender-based violence, natural disasters, and freedom of expression that are included at the top of specialized searches for such topics in many countries.
The sources who were aware of Musk’s decision to order the feature’s removal opted not to be named out of fear of reprisal. One of them claims that millions of people have viewed the #ThereIsHelp messages.
Twitter began implementing certain prompts, judging by tweets, about five years ago. Then, more than 30 countires had access to some of these prompts. Twitter previously stated that it had a responsibility to make sure users could access and receive support on our service when they were in need in one of its blog entries regarding the feature.
Since the feature was disabled, worries about the security of vulnerable Twitter users have increased.
Musk has claimed that the impressions, or views, of harmful content have decreased since he took over in October and has tweeted graphs demonstrating a downward trend. This is in spite of the fact that researchers and civil rights organisations have noticed an increase in tweets with racial slurs and other hateful content.
Online platforms like Twitter, Google, and Facebook have long attempted to direct users toward well-known resource providers like government hotlines when they suspect someone may be in danger, in part as a consequence of pressure from consumer safety groups.
Twitter’s head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told Reuters: “Our prompts have been updated and repaired. They were only taken out of the picture while we did it. Next week, we anticipate having them back up.”
Google performs incredibly well with these in its search results, and with the modifications we are making, Irwin stated in her email, “(we) are actually mirroring parts of their methodology.” We just want to make sure they are operating correctly and staying relevant because we know these prompts are helpful in many situations.
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