New York, NY, August 18, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today praised Twitter for its “critical” move after the social media platform announced that it has suspended more than 200,000 accounts that have violated policies related to the promotion of terrorism.
In a blog posted today, the company announced that since the middle of 2015, 360,000 accounts have been removed. In February, ADL praised Twitter for its efforts to combat violent extremism and the formation of the Trust & Safety Council.
“With this latest critical move, Twitter has really set the right tone in the fight against nefarious content on its platform,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “By suspending accounts that have regularly promoted terror and other deeply troubling content, Twitter has taken an important step forward in combating cyberhate.
“For several years, we have witnessed how terror groups aggressively exploit social media,” Mr. Greenblatt said. “We welcome Twitter’s announcement as another significant step in the effort to remove the most horrendous content from mainstream platforms and limit its reach.”
Several social media companies have recently endorsed ADL’s Best Practices for Responding to Cyberhate, which guides internet users to the best known Internet companies’ response to online hate speech and serves as a foundational piece for collaboration between industry and non-industry experts.
In an attempt to help users better navigate the various mechanisms available for reporting online hate speech, ADL, in 2014, created the Cyber-Safety Action Guide, a platform where consumers can learn how to report bigoted or hateful speech to the major Internet and social media companies.