Twitter Accidentally Suspend Accounts Of 12 Journalists, Due To False Reports Of Right-wing Activists

Twitter's new feature is being abused by far-right activists (photo: pixabay)

JAKARTA - If you're worried that people might abuse Twitter's new policy against sharing images without consent, then your fears are well-founded. The social network told The Washington Post it had inadvertently suspended the accounts of 12 anti-extremism journalists and researchers.

This could come after far-right activists and white supremacist groups submitted "coordinated and malicious" false reports seeking to silence critics on the social media platform. It is not clear how many reports have been sent over the so-called "significant number".

Twitter said it had lifted the ban and had started an internal review to ensure the policy was being used "as appropriate." They expect more data on the volume of false accusations to emerge later. Some of the targets of anti-extremist groups have had their accounts suspended until the news appeared in The Washington Post.

According to the Engadget Report, the rule prohibits users from sharing private photos and videos without the subject's permission. It also prohibits people from threatening to share that content or encouraging others to leak it.

There are exceptions to posts where the media may offer "value for public discourse." However, at least one of the banned targets is simply the sharing of public photos of famous figures.

The abuse of this feature doesn't come as a total surprise. Critics are already concerned that the measure is too vague to prevent abuse. This might paralyze amateur investigators sifting through available data, for example.

While Twitter may not want to overhaul its policies, it shouldn't be surprising if there are clarifications or adjustments to limit potential future violations.