Twitter updates controversial tweets policy

Tweets that are controversial in nature or violate the platform’s guidelines but are in public interest may be considered important communication.

The platform has allowed certain tweets that violated rules to remain on Twitter because they were in the public’s interest. The company will continue to do so but now with a notice providing additional context.

This applies to verified users, users with more than 100,000 followers, government officials, any user being considered for a government position.

A cross-functional team including Trust and Safety, Legal, Public Policy and regional teams will determine if the Tweets are a matter of public interest based on the following considerations:

• The severity of potential harm with an emphasis on ensuring physical safety.
• Whether preserving a Tweet will allow others to hold the government official accountable for their statements.
• Whether there are other sources of information about this statement.
• If removal would inadvertently hide context or prevent people from understanding an issue of public concern.
• If the Tweet provides a unique context or perspective not available elsewhere.

When this notice placed on a tweet, it will feature less prominently on Twitter, and not appear in: Safe search, Timeline when switched to Top Tweets, Live events pages, Recommended Tweet push notifications, Notifications tab and Explore.

This notice won’t be applied to any tweets sent before 27 June 2019.