Twitter Users Are Now Prohibited From Sharing Other People's Pictures And Videos Without The Owner's Permission

Twitter is now limiting the rules for sharing images and videos from users. (photo; doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Twitter users are now prohibited from sharing other people's pictures or videos without their permission. This change means users can request that their photos be removed from the platform.

The rule applies only if they don't approve of their image or video being shared. However, this does not apply to public figures. They will not be able to remove images, unless they are harassed, and cases where images and tweets are in the public interest or add value to public discourse.

"Feeling safe on Twitter is different for everyone, and our team is constantly working to understand and meet these needs," Twitter said.

This is the first major policy announcement under the new leadership of Twitter's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Parag Agrawal, who took over from Jack Dorsey when he stepped down earlier this week.

According to Twitter quoted from The Independent, Wednesday, December 1, this new rule is a continuation of the company's existing rules on personal information. In it, the platform already prohibits the sharing of information such as home addresses or identity documents.

Obviously, this is very different from its policy on abusive behavior, where users can only request to remove images that are used as harassment or intimidation.

Twitter recognizes that there will be cases where images may be shared when someone is involved in a crisis situation, such as after a violent event, or as part of a newsworthy event because of the value of the public interest, and this may outweigh the risk to someone's safety.

In such a case, the rule will look to assess the context of the image and may be able to decide that it should remain. This may include an image that is already publicly available, that is being covered by a news site, or if a particular image and accompanying tweet text add value to public discourse, is shared in the public interest, or is relevant to the community.

"We know our work will never be done, and we will continue to invest in making our products and policies more robust and transparent to continue to earn the trust of the people who use our services," Twitter said.