Twitter just announced that it will no longer allow its users to post photos and videos of other people without their consent. This is in line with the company’s private information policy. This policy has banned Twitter users from disclosing other people’s personal information–like their address or location, IDs, private contact numbers, financial details, and medical data–on the platform.
“Sharing images is an important part of folks’ experience on Twitter,” the company’s Safety account said. “People should have a choice in determining whether or not a photo is shared publicly.” This policy was developed in order to curb the misuse of media to harass, intimidate, and reveal the identities of private individuals.
So how will this work exactly? Twitter won’t require consent from individuals in pictures. However, people will be given the option to have any media portraying their image taken down.
Just take note that this policy applies to private individuals only, and is not applicable to media featuring public figures or individuals “when media and accompanying Tweet text are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse,” as Twitter said. However, the company can still remove content on public figures if they’re intended for harassment.
This means that you can still post about your favorite celebrities on the micro-blogging platform.
When it comes to crowds, however, Twitter said that it’s all about consent. “Context matters,” Twitter clarified. “Our existing private information policy includes many exceptions in order to enable robust reporting on newsworthy events and conversations that are in the public interest.”
“We will take into consideration whether the image is publicly available and/or is being covered by journalists–or if a particular image and the accompanying Tweet text adds value to the public discourse–is being shared in public interest or is relevant to the community,” it added.
This new policy was announced after Jack Dorsey stepped down from being CEO of Twitter. It’s still too early to determine how this will affect Twitter, but it’s still interesting nonetheless.
Art Macky Arquilla
