Civil Rights Leaders Say Twitter’s Expanded Hateful Conduct Policy Remains Insufficient, Platform Must Ban Racist Content and White Supremacists

“Diverse communities are still dying at the hands of white supremacy, and Twitter must do more to protect us all.”

Change the Terms, a coalition of more than 55 civil rights groups committed to fighting online hate, responded today to Twitter’s expansion of their hateful conduct policy to prohibit content that is dehumanizing on the basis of age, disability, or disease. Twitter did not extend the policy to content that is dehumanizing on the basis of race, ethnicity or other suggestions made by Change the Terms in its model corporate policies to prevent hateful activities online.

Jessica J. González, co-founder of Change the Terms and co-CEO of Free Press said:

“While Twitter’s expansion of their policies against hateful conduct to prohibit content that dehumanizes people based on age, disability, or disease is an important step forward, this policy update falls far short of protecting all users and the public. Twitter must expand its hateful conduct policies to protect people of color and prohibit language that dehumanizes people based on their race, ethnicity, or immigration status.

“Hate, vitriol, and white supremacy poison Twitter, and make it a toxic place for women, people of color, and other diverse communities frequently attacked and targeted with hate. Twitter has the ability and capacity to take meaningful steps to stop hate from spreading online, and must take action now: Ban racist dehumanizing language, and ban white supremacists from the platform.

“Since August 2019, our coalition has called on Twitter to take the necessary steps to curb hate on the platform, and leaders have all but refused to take action, despite the deadly consequences of online hate. Today, Twitter still hosts more than 40 known white supremacists, who weaponize the platform to spread hate and seed violence against communities of color. It’s unconscionable that Twitter provides a megaphone for white supremacists to amplify their hate speech to millions, and it puts our lives at risk. Diverse communities are still dying at the hands of white supremacy, and Twitter must do more to protect us all. Twitter must immediately ban white supremacists, as peer platforms Facebook and YouTube have already done.”

Susan Benesch, Executive Director of the Dangerous Speech Project, a Change The Terms partner said:

“We’re glad Twitter is exploring where to draw careful, consistent lines in taking down content, and that Twitter sought feedback from users regarding an earlier version of this policy. As Twitter notes, users gave very valuable advice. Before launching new policies, Twitter should seek advice from outsiders including its own Trust and Safety Council, and representatives of groups that get attacked constantly on Twitter.”

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Change the Terms is a coalition calling on technology companies to institute and enforce service agreement prohibitions on hateful activities to protect public safety and respect diverse voices. The coalition includes more than 50 civil rights, human rights, technology policy and consumer protection organizations dedicated to encouraging internet companies, social media sites, payment processors and chat services to commit to fair, effective and transparent rules and practices for content moderation.