Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has sent a stern warning to Twitter, urging the social media giant to take immediate action to prevent online hate and abuse. The commissioner’s statement comes after a surge in complaints about online hate on Twitter, with a total of more than 700,000 reports lodged over the past 12 months. This is more than any other platform, according to the eSafety commissioner.
The warning is particularly pertinent given Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October, which has been accompanied by a rise in reports of serious online abuse. The eSafety commissioner has expressed concerns that Twitter’s recent actions, including the reinstatement of tens of thousands of previously banned or suspended accounts, have allowed hate speech and abuse to proliferate.
According to Grant, Twitter’s terms of use and policies prohibit hateful conduct on the platform, but the company is falling short when it comes to implementing its own rules. The commissioner has called on Twitter to take concrete steps to address this issue, including increasing the reporting of abuse and implementing more effective measures to prevent online hate.
Grant’s concerns are backed up by evidence from eSafety research, which shows that nearly one in five Australians have experienced some form of online hate. Furthermore, the research suggests that certain groups, such as First Nations Australians, people with disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTIQ+, are disproportionately affected by online hate, experiencing it at double the rate of the rest of the population.
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The eSafety commissioner has given Twitter 28 days to respond to the warning, stating that if the company fails to do so, it may face maximum financial penalties of 700,000 Australian dollars (approximately $475,000) per day. This is a significant escalation of the situation, and Twitter would do well to take the commissioner’s concerns seriously.
Inman Grant also highlighted the impact of Musk’s dismissal of Twitter’s public policy unit, which had previously worked closely with the eSafety commissioner to prioritize abuse reports and provide a direct line to the company’s head office. The loss of this unit has left a power vacuum, allowing online hate and abuse to flourish.
Twitter has yet to respond publicly to the eSafety commissioner’s warning, but its usual response to press inquiries has been a single poop emoji, a sign of the company’s new approach to media relations under Musk. This lack of transparency and accountability is only likely to fuel the commissioner’s concerns and escalate the situation.
Ultimately, the rise of online hate on Twitter is a serious issue that requires a concerted effort to tackle. The eSafety commissioner’s warning serves as a wake-up call to the company, and it is up to Twitter to take immediate action to address the growing problem of online hate.
