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Elon Musk has officially taken over Twitter and it’s going as badly as we
expected.
Within hours, there was an “immediate, visible and measurable spike” in
hate speech on Twitter. The use of the n-word alone skyrocketed by over
500 percent.
Earlier this week, Color Of Change and other civil rights leaders met with
Musk to discuss our concerns. While Musk pledged to preserve or restore
several existing protections against hate and misinformation, his actions
tell a different story.
Today, Musk announced massive layoffs of thousands of Twitter employees
and dissolved all of the employee resource groups focused on diversity and
inclusion. By putting those responsible for community standards and user
safety first on the chopping block, Musk is creating the conditions that
would fail to meet even the short-term promises he made just a few days
ago. To make matters worse, on Monday – a day before the midterm elections
– Musk will roll out a scheme that will allow anyone to receive Twitter’s
signature blue “verified account” check mark – if they pay him $8 a month
without verifying their identity. This could lead to massive election
misinformation, including unscrupulous Twitter users impersonating
election officials and spreading misinformation about the election..
Twitter’s biggest advertisers cannot continue to sit on the sidelines and
fund these mounting harms against our communities. Join us and demand The
Walt Disney Company, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, and other big
corporations pull their advertisements from Twitter until Musk takes
meaningful action to keep Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone.
[ [link removed] ]TOgether we can keep twitter safeAt a time when the internet is
increasingly being weaponized to attack Black people and destroy our
social and political rights, Musk’s plans for Twitter threaten our safety.
Black women have historically been among the most abused groups on Twitter
and were 84 percent more likely than white women to be targeted by hate
speech. With rollbacks on hate-speech policies and cuts to content
moderation staff, this abuse will only increase, further inflaming a
hostile online environment that can spill over into real-world violence.
Some advertisers have already paused their Twitter ads, but we need Musk’s
biggest advertisers to step up and demand he maintain a safe space for
everyone. This is vital as we head into the 2022 midterms.
We demand that Twitter:
* Implement a robust and transparent content moderation system by
enforcing community guidelines and banning hateful and racist content.
* Conduct an independent third-party evaluation of Twitter products and
policies for evidence of discrimination and civil rights violations.
* Do not reinstate the accounts of previously suspended and deplatformed
users.
* Continue to enforce the current hateful conduct policies prohibiting
the targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.
Additionally, Twitter must uphold its commitment to enforce its existing
ban on use of the word “groomer” and other slurs that falsely, baselessly
and maliciously characterize LGBTQ+ people – and their, allies and medical
professionals who help them – as pedophiles, Those terms are clear
invitations for harassment and violence, and are in violation of
Twitter's hateful conduct policy.
s Twitter’s new CEO, Musk must meet these demands and keep the promises
he made to ensure Twitter is a welcoming platform. Together, we can hold
Musk accountable to users like you.
[ [link removed] ]TELL Advertisers: Keep Twitter safe
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[ [link removed] ]ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.
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