Twitter Adds Disability To Abuse Reporting Options
Responding to user requests, Twitter is updating its platform to explicitly allow reporting of abusive or harassing tweets targeting people with disabilities.
The social media giant said this week that it has added “disability” to a list of protected groups on its abuse and harassment reporting page.
“It’s against our rules to directly attack or threaten someone based on their protected category, including disability,” the company said in a post announcing the addition. “You asked us to clarify this in our reporting flow, and we’ve updated it to be more specific.”
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Disability is now one of several examples — including race, religion, gender and orientation — specifically cited under an option to report that a Twitter user is engaging in abusive or harassing behavior that “directs hate against a protected category.”
The move comes after Natalie Weaver, a North Carolina mom of a girl with Rett syndrome and various physical differences, brought significant attention to the issue earlier this year.
Weaver and her followers urged Twitter to make “disability” a protected category after her daughter was targeted in a tweet that included the girl’s photo and advocated for abortion.
Weaver told CNN that Twitter initially said the tweet — which gained traction on the platform — did not violate their rules. Later, after the situation garnered media attention, Weaver said Twitter acknowledged making a mistake and the post was removed, but the company told her their reporting tool did not have enough space to include “disability” as a category.
Now Twitter appears to have reversed course.
“Thanks for adding disability to your violation reporting tool! Now, I hope that @TwitterSupport will find violations when ppl are harassed for being disabled or having a medical condition,” Weaver tweeted in response to the update.
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