The Center for Countering Digital Hate said that its researchers collected tweets promoting hatred from 100 Twitter Blue accounts and reported them to the company’s platform for flagging hateful posts.
But, the nonprofit said the social media platform did not act on 99 percent of the tweets flagged and all of the accounts remained active four days later, as our colleague Jared Gans reported.
The posts the organization flagged made racist, antisemitic, homophobic or transphobic remarks, according to the group.
The report also notes that one tweet even referenced violence against LGBTQ+ rights supporters.
“Twitter failed to act despite the fact that the tweets surfaced by the Center clearly violate the platform’s policies against hateful conduct, which bans abuse on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity,” the report states.
The group said that its previous studies have found Twitter has failed to act on 89 percent of antisemitic posts and 97 percent of anti-Muslim posts.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk phased out the platform’s old system of verified accounts in which public figures could have their accounts verified to separate themselves from potential imposters. In its place, he unveiled the Twitter Blue system in which any user can receive verification for $8 per month.
Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said Musk is reversing the progress that has been made toward tolerance at an “ever-accelerating rate.”
“The Twitter blue tick used to be a sign of authority and authenticity, but it is now inextricably linked to the promotion of hate and conspiracism,” he said
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
