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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 21 OctOber 2017
Twitter vows new crackdown on hateful, abusive tweets

By BARBARA ORTUTAY take new action on hate carefully not to sweep up
AP Technology Writer symbols and imagery and legitimate discourse along
NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter is "take enforcement action with hate speech and
vowing to crack down fur- against organizations that abuse. Unlike Facebook,
ther on hate speech and use/have historically used Twitter permits anonym-
sexual harassment, days af- violence as a means to ad- ity. While this can be used
ter CEO Jack Dorsey said in vance their cause," though as a tool for abuse and
a tweetstorm that the com- it said more details were to harassment, it also allows
pany is not doing enough come. for people and groups to
to protect its users. It didn't say what the hate speak out when they oth-
The company has spent symbols might be and en- erwise couldn't. "Any kind
the last two years trying to forcing this could prove of policy that is about tak-
clamp down on hate and difficult. While some hate ing down speech online,
abuse on its generally free- symbols, like the swastika, will be used for its intended
wheeling service. are widely recognized, purpose, but also by oth-
Dorsey echoed concerns of groups have also adopted ers who are looking to get
many users and critics who lesser-known, seemingly in- things censored online,"
say Twitter it hasn't done nocuous symbols to show she said. "People out there
enough to curb the abuse. This Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, file photo, shows a Twitter app on an hate. Those include "Pepe looking to silence voices
But others worry that it's iPhone screen in New York. the Frog," a cartoon frog they disagree with are very
muzzling free speech in the Associated Press that has become a sym- savvy." In the end, whether
process. In an email Twitter and Safety Council. But, account it identifies as be- bol for the "alt-right" move- the policies work will have
shared with The Associated she added, it will be very ing the original poster of ment known for racist and to be tested out in the field,
Press Tuesday, the com- important to have a clear "non-consensual nudity," misogynist views. The milk by Twitter's users.
pany's head of safety pol- appeals process and ways including so-called "creep emoji has also been used "There will definitely be mis-
icy outlined the proposed to review whether the poli- shots" of a sexual nature by white supremacists as takes," Llanso said.
new guidelines that tighten cies are effective. taken surreptitiously. Previ- an online symbol. Twitter al- RUSSIA SCRUTINY
existing rules and impose Twitter sent it to the group ously, the company treat- ready takes action against The moves also come amid
some new ones. They aim for input, and the changes ed the original poster of the direct threats of violence, intense scrutiny from con-
to close loopholes that al- are not yet final. News of content the same as those the company said it would gressional investigators into
lowed people to glorify vio- the changes was first re- who re-tweeted it, and it also act against tweets how Russian agents used
lence, for example. ported by Wired . resulted only in a tempo- that glorify or condone vio- Twitter, Facebook and
The email was sent to the WHAT'S CHANGING? rary suspension. lence. Google to influence last
company's Trust and Safety Some of the changes are It said it would also develop IS IT ENOUGH? TOO MUCH? year's U.S. election. Twitter
Council, a group of out- aimed at protecting wom- a system allowing bystand- On Friday, Dorsey fore- has said it would appear
side organizations that ad- en who unknowingly or un- ers on Twitter to report shadowed the coming pol- at a public congressional
vises Twitter on its policies willingly had nude pictures unwanted exchanges of icy changes in a series of hearing on Nov. 1 after al-
against abuse. of themselves distributed sexually charged content, tweets, saying the compa- ready briefing a Senate
"It's good that Twitter online or were subject to whereas in the past it re- ny's efforts over the last two committee.
is thinking these things unwanted sexual advanc- lied on one of the parties years were inadequate. The company has handed
through and being fairly es. They would also try to involved in the conversa- "Today we saw voices si- over the handles, or profile
transparent about what shield groups subject to tion to come forward be- lencing themselves and names, of 201 accounts it
they are doing," said Emma hateful imagery, symbols fore taking action. Twitter voices speaking out be- believes were linked to Rus-
Llanso, director of the free and threats of violence. already allows bystanders cause we're (asterisk) sia. It has also said at least
expression project at the Among the proposed to report other violations on still(asterisk) not doing $274,000 in U.S. ads were
Center for Democracy and changes, Twitter said it behalf of someone else. enough," Dorsey tweeted. bought by Russia Today, a
Technology, a nonprofit would immediately and The San Francisco-based At the same time, Llanso Russian-government-linked
that's a member of the Trust permanently suspend any company also said it would said, Twitter also must tread media outlet, last year.q
Viral smartphone game lets ordinary Chinese 'clap' for Xi

BEIJING (AP) — Ordinary friends. Xi kicked off the leader who has spearhead-
young Chinese may not ruling Communist Party's ed a sweeping anti-corrup-
have paid close atten- 19th national congress this tion campaign, Xi's face
tion to Xi Jinping's 3½-hour week and declared a "new appears prominently on
speech this week, but era" of China's rise on the billboards and trinkets sold
they're happy to "applaud" world stage. Delegates in tourist areas. Top officials
the president in the new- next week will grant him frequently invoke his name
est viral phenomenon to a second five-year term and gush over his political
sweep China's internet. as party leader and se- thought in ways that have
Tencent, the internet giant lect new members of the drawn comparisons to the
behind the WeChat mes- nearly 90-million-strong Mao Zedong era.
saging app, rolled out a party's leading bodies. Xi In the Tencent game, us-
game this week that lets has amassed more power ers are shown a brief snip-
users clap for Xi by press- than any Chinese leader pet of Xi's speech on topics
ing on their phone screen in decades and frequently such as improving the lives
as many times as possible receives public displays of of poor farmers or regu-
in 19 seconds. In just three loyalty from party cadres, lating the housing market
A woman poses as she playing a Tencent's smartphone game days, the game has racked prompting warnings from to protect young home-
called "A Great Speech, clap for Xi Jinping" in Beijing, Friday, up 1.2 billion plays, as many his critics that China is slid- buyers, and then encour-
Oct. 20, 2017. shared their scores on so- ing dangerously toward aged to tap the screen to
Associated Press cial media and challenged one-man rule. A populist applaud.q