Tag

Trust And Safety

All articles tagged with #trust and safety

technology1 year ago

"Tech Giant X Establishes Content Moderation Hub in Austin"

X plans to establish a trust and safety office in Austin, Texas, hiring 100 full-time employees to focus on issues like child sexual exploitation (CSE) and hate speech moderation. This move comes ahead of CEO Linda Yaccarino’s Senate hearing regarding the platform's handling of CSE. The new team will be the first proper trust and safety team since Elon Musk's changes to the platform, and will also address other moderation enforcement issues.

technology2 years ago

X Corp. Cuts 30% of Trust and Safety Staff, Australian Online Safety Watchdog Reports

X Corp, owner of Twitter, has cut its global trust and safety staff by 30% and reduced safety engineers by 80% since Elon Musk took over, according to Australia’s eSafety Commission. The commission revealed that X reinstated 6,100 previously banned accounts, including 194 for hateful conduct, without additional scrutiny. This reduction in safety staff combined with banned account holders returning could make the platform more toxic and less safe, risking brand reputation and advertising revenue. X missed deadlines to provide requested information and was fined for failing to explain how it was tackling child sexual exploitation content.

technology2 years ago

Elon Musk's X Faces Criticism for Drastic Cuts to Trust and Safety Staff

After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter and rebranding it as X, a report from Australia’s online safety commissioner revealed that 80% of engineers dedicated to trust and safety were fired, along with a third of non-engineering trust and safety employees. The company's trust and safety team was reduced from 4,062 to 2,849, and its full-time content moderation team was halved. Response times to hateful tweets and direct messages have slowed, and X confirmed it had no full-time staff dedicated to hateful conduct issues globally. The commissioner is taking civil action against X for not providing information on dealing with online child sexual abuse, potentially resulting in significant fines.

technology2 years ago

Former Twitter Safety Chief Reveals Secrets of Catching Online Predators

Del Harvey, the former head of Twitter's trust and safety team, has broken her silence after two years and revealed the challenges and complexities of content moderation on the platform. Harvey discusses her decision-making process and the immense pressure she faced in making difficult choices that could have life-or-death consequences. She also reflects on the evolution of Twitter's trust and safety efforts, from managing spam to handling geopolitical conflicts and the rise of online harassment. Harvey criticizes the lack of resources and tools available for effective content moderation and expresses her bafflement at the decision to downsize the trust and safety team. Despite leaving Twitter, Harvey continues to monitor the platform and remains engaged in community-building activities offline.

technology2 years ago

"Former Meta Employees Thrive in Censorship Industry Amidst Online Disinformation and Wars"

Former employees of Meta (formerly Facebook) are capitalizing on the growing demand for trust and safety technologies amid the surge of disinformation and violent content spreading across the internet during conflicts like the Israel-Hamas war. As major tech companies have cut jobs in content moderation and trust and safety, startups founded by ex-Meta staffers are developing technologies to help platforms manage user-generated content effectively. These startups, such as Cove, Cinder, and Sero AI, offer tools and guidelines to combat misinformation, hate speech, and terrorist propaganda. The trust and safety technology market is expected to grow as more platforms recognize the need for greater protection and as new content policy regulations, like the EU's Digital Services Act, come into effect.

technology2 years ago

Discord's Reform Movement: Creating Safer Spaces and Monetizing Apps

Discord, the popular communication platform, is implementing a new warning system and reform movement to address online harms and improve user behavior. The platform, which started as a tool for gamers, has grown to include various communities beyond gaming. Discord's previous three-strikes policy was deemed inadequate, as it levied the same penalty for minor infractions and major violations. The new system aims to educate users and rehabilitate them rather than permanently banning them. It includes in-app messages, detailed information about rule violations, and a streamlined account standing tab. Discord also plans to extend the warning system to group-based harms in servers. The company's trust and safety team is analyzing server metadata and user behavior to diagnose and rehabilitate problematic servers.

technology2 years ago

Airbnb's Party Patrol: Slashing Partying by 55% in Just Two Years

Naba Banerjee, the person in charge of Airbnb's worldwide ban on parties, has successfully reduced party reports by 55% between August 2020 and August 2022. Banerjee has implemented various measures, including an anti-party AI system, to combat party "collusion" by users and prevent high-risk reservations. The AI system analyzes factors such as user age, reservation details, and proximity to the listing to determine party risk. Since its global rollout in May, over 320,000 guests have been blocked or redirected from booking attempts on Airbnb. Despite ongoing challenges, Banerjee and her team continue to monitor and adapt the system to stay ahead of party-inclined users.

business2 years ago

X Streamlines Trust and Safety Team with Musk and Yaccarino at the Helm

X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino will jointly oversee the trust and safety team. Musk will be responsible for the product and engineering team, while Yaccarino will oversee other divisions. The trust and safety team, which handles content moderation, has faced criticism for allegedly relaxing content guardrails. X is now searching for a new leader for brand safety and suitability after the previous head of brand safety left the company. These changes come after the resignation of the head of the trust and safety team in June.

technology2 years ago

OpenAI's Trust and Safety Leader Resigns, Prompting Devs to Focus on ChatGPT Fixes

Dave Willner, the head of trust and safety at OpenAI, has announced his departure from the company after a year and a half in the role. Willner, who played a key role in operationalizing OpenAI's commitment to safe and responsible AI use, plans to transition to an advisory role and spend more time with his family. OpenAI is now seeking a replacement, and CTO Mira Murati will manage the team on an interim basis. Willner's departure comes at a critical time for AI, as questions about regulation and mitigating harmful impacts continue to arise.

social-media2 years ago

Elon Musk's Controversial Twitter Plans and Offers.

Elon Musk has suggested that Twitter should get rid of the block feature, which is an important tool for trust and safety efforts, and allows users to block someone from following them. Musk argues that blocking public posts makes no sense and that it needs to be deprecated in favor of a stronger form of mute. However, the block feature is an anti-harassment tool to help people avoid having stalkers, abusers, harassers, and the like being able to follow their every word without at least some level of friction. This move by Musk could make Twitter significantly less safe for a large segment of users.

business2 years ago

Twitter Loses Another Head of Trust and Safety

Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, has resigned from the company, becoming the latest high-profile departure since Elon Musk acquired the social network in October. Irwin, who oversaw content moderation, is the second head of trust and safety to step down since Musk took over. Twitter has faced criticism for lax protections against harmful content since the billionaire businessman acquired the company for $44bn. Irwin's departure comes as the platform also struggles with technical challenges, mass layoffs, and an exodus of advertisers wary of appearing next to unsuitable content.

social-media2 years ago

Twitter faces leadership shakeup as top trust and safety officials resign.

Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, has resigned from her role at the social media platform after serving for roughly seven months. Irwin declined to provide a reason for her decision. She ran the Twitter team that fought disinformation, removed offensive content, and helped maintain Twitter's platform integrity. Her departure comes at a turbulent time for the social media network, which was grappling with the dissemination of a conservative website's purported documentary on transgender people.

social-media2 years ago

Twitter's Trust and Safety Chief Resigns Amidst Controversy

Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, has resigned from her role at the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. Irwin served for roughly seven months and declined to provide a reason for her decision. Irwin ran the Twitter team that fought disinformation, removed offensive content, and helped maintain Twitter's platform integrity. Her departure comes at a turbulent time for the social media network, which was grappling with the dissemination of a conservative website's purported documentary on transgender people.

business2 years ago

Twitter's Head of Trust and Safety, Ella Irwin, Resigns

Ella Irwin, who served as head of trust and safety at Twitter under Elon Musk's leadership, has resigned from the company after less than seven months. Irwin oversaw the enforcement of Twitter's content moderation policies, which have been criticized for lax policy enforcement and an increase in hate speech. Musk has been accused of making unilateral decisions that have impacted the company's trust and safety function. The reason for Irwin's resignation is unknown.

technology2 years ago

Twitter's Trust and Safety Chief Resigns Amidst Controversy

Twitter's second head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, has resigned, a month after Elon Musk took over the company. The head of trust and safety is responsible for content moderation, which has come under scrutiny since Musk's takeover. The reason for Irwin's resignation is unclear, but it comes a day after Musk publicly criticized a content moderation decision made at Twitter. Studies have shown that hate speech has increased under Musk's tenure, and Twitter disbanded its volunteer group that advised on self-harm, child abuse, and hate speech.