Twitter Inc deleted a feature in the last few days that offered suicide prevention hotlines and other safety options to users seeking up specific content.
The deactivation of the #ThereIsHelp function has not before been noted. It showed contacts for support organizations in several countries at the top of specialized queries pertaining to mental health, HIV, vaccines, child sexual exploitation, COVID-19, gender-based violence, natural disasters, and freedom of expression.
Its removal may raise worries about the safety of vulnerable Twitter users. Musk has stated that impressions, or views, of harmful content, have decreased since he took over in October, and has tweeted graphs demonstrating this trend, even though researchers and civil rights organizations have observed an increase in tweets containing racial slurs and other hateful content.
Twitter and Musk did not reply to requests for comment on the feature’s removal
AIDS United, which was advertised under #ThereIsHelp, and iLaw, a Thai group noted for support of free expression, both told Reuters on Friday that the absence of the feature surprised them.
According to AIDS United, a webpage connected by the Twitter feature drew approximately 70 views a day until Dec. 18. Since then, it has drawn 14 views in total.
Damar Juniarto, executive director of Twitter partner Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network, tweeted about the missing function on Friday, saying the social media service’s “dumb acts” could drive his organization to depart it.
Reuters could not quickly determine why Musk would order the feature’s removal. Sources familiar with his decision declined to be identified for fear of punishment. According to one of them, millions of individuals have seen #ThereIsHelp messages.
Eirliani Abdul Rahman, a member of a now-disbanded Twitter content advisory board, described the deletion of #ThereIsHelp as “extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing.”
Even if it was just temporarily removed to create room for changes, “normally you would be working on it in parallel, not removing it,” she said.
Big companies have tried to route users to well-known resource providers when they fear someone is in danger
For years, online businesses such as Twitter, Google, and Facebook have tried to route users to well-known resource providers such as government hotlines when they fear someone is in danger, in part owing to pressure from consumer safety groups.
According to company postings, Twitter published certain prompts roughly five years ago, and some were available in over 30 countries. Twitter stated in one of its blog entries on the feature that it was responsible for ensuring customers could “access and receive support on our service when they need it the most.”
The tool was expanded to offer information relating to natural catastrophe queries in Indonesia and Malaysia shortly after Musk purchased the company.
