Twitter has announced that it will begin labeling tweets that violate its Hateful Conduct policy, in an effort to limit the visibility of problematic content. Users will see a notice that Twitter is limiting the post’s visibility and will have an opportunity to learn more about why the tweet was flagged. The labeling will initially cover a limited range of policy violations, but Twitter plans to expand this in the coming months.
While users can provide feedback on a label they feel is in error, they will not be able to formally appeal decisions until some point in the future. Twitter has emphasized that the labels will only apply to individual tweets and not entire accounts.
We’re adding more transparency to the enforcement actions we take on Tweets. As a first step, soon you’ll start to see labels on some Tweets identified as potentially violating our rules around Hateful Conduct letting you know that we’ve limited their visibility. ?…
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) April 17, 2023
Twitter’s move reflects its Musk-era “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach” philosophy, where it favors limiting exposure to content rather than outright bans. This theoretically prevents offensive speech from spreading without completely silencing users on the platform. Twitter hopes that this move will increase transparency and address concerns over “shadow bans” that limit reach without users’ knowledge.
However, some advocacy groups have criticized Twitter for not doing enough to protect frequent targets of hate, such as the LGBTQ community. While offenders can still face bans if they violate the law, they are more likely to remain on the platform under this new policy. Advertisers leaving Twitter over concerns their ads may run alongside objectionable material may also be dissatisfied with the labeling policy. While the move will address concerns over possible censorship, it may not satisfy those who see labels as diminishing the worth of a tweet.
