Twitter’s Trust and Safety advisers reportedly want to discuss the future of the council after feeling ignored.
Angela Lang/The Techy Trends
Members of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council feel the social media company doesn’t value their expertise and input, according to a Friday report by Wired. The members sent a letter to Twitter’s leadership on Monday outlining their concerns.
Among their qualms is that they sometimes don’t get updates for months, have trouble reaching company contacts in some regions and don’t get a heads-up about policy or product changes. The members ask for a call with CEO Jack Dorsey to talk about the future of the council.
In 2016, Twitter created the Trust and Safety Council, composed of more than 40 external groups and experts that provide advice to ensure users’ safety.
The letter was emailed by Alex Holmes, deputy CEO at the Diana Award, an organization focused on anti-bullying efforts and online safety programs, Holmes confirmed to The Techy Trends. Holmes told Wired the letter doesn’t represent every council member’s views.
“There have been no advance heads-up of Twitter’s policy or product changes to the council, leaving many of us to have no prior warning or let alone knowledge when answering press and media enquiries about our role and involvement in the council,” the letter reads. “This is embarrassing.”
Nick Pickles, director for public policy strategy at Twitter, said in a statement that the company is committed to working with partners to keep Twitter’s users safe.
“We’ve been discussing ways we can improve how we work with partners, experts and advocates, including having conversations with our Trust and Safety Council members,” Pickles said. “From those conversations, we’ve heard that one small, centralized group isn’t reflective of Twitter’s role in the world, so we’re working on ways to hear more regularly from a more diverse range of voices.”
