It appears that the majority of Twitter’s Trust and Safety team employees have lost the authority to take action against accounts that violate the platform’s policies on hate speech and disinformation. Employees are understandably concerned about how Twitter will be able to control the dissemination of false information with the US midterm elections on November 8 just a few days away in light of this tragedy.
According to reports, the decision to limit the employees’ access to moderation tools is a part of a larger effort to freeze the software code of Twitter, preventing employees from making modifications to the service when it changes hands. The group added that Musk requested a revision of various Twitter policies, notably the one regarding misinformation that sanctions postings that contain untrue information about politics and COVID-19. A portion of Twitter’s abusive conduct policy that sanctions posts containing “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals” is another regulation Musk reportedly urged the team to consider.
