New Twitter Policy Bans Posting Photos Of People Without Their Consent

Social Media Site Twitter Debuts On The New York Stock Exchange

Photo: Getty Images

Twitter announced that it has updated its rules to ban the posting of photos and videos of people without their consent. Twitter already bans the posting of private information, including home addresses, non-public contact information, government documents, medical records, and personal financial information.

Twitter said the updated policy is part of its commitment "to build tools with privacy and security at the core."

"There are growing concerns about the misuse of media and information that is not available elsewhere online as a tool to harass, intimidate, and reveal the identities of individuals. Sharing personal media, such as images or videos, can potentially violate a person's privacy, and may lead to emotional or physical harm. The misuse of private media can affect everyone, but can have a disproportionate effect on women, activists, dissidents, and members of minority communities," the company explained in a blog post.

Twitter said it will not require proof of consent before an image or video is shared on its platform. Instead, an individual, or their authorized agent, can submit a request to have the image removed. Twitter will review the submission and "take action in line with our range of enforcement options."

Twitter said there will be some exceptions to the policy, adding that it only applies to private individuals.

"This policy is not applicable to media featuring public figures or individuals when media and accompanying Tweet text are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse," Twitter said.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content