Politicians could exploit Twitter’s new safety tools to silence critics

Twitter is testing a host of new features the social network says will boost user safety on the platform, but free speech advocates warn that the tools could be easily exploited by government officials to suppress dissent and limit access to their remarks online. The rollouts include a “safety mode” tool that when enabled automatically detects and temporarily blocks accounts hurling insults or other “harmful language” at users to “reduce the burden on people dealing with unwelcome interactions.” The company said it’s also testing a setting that lets users automatically “filter” or “limit” unwanted and harmful replies. It's Twitter’s latest effort to curb rampant harassment between users on its site, which has long been a criticism of the platform and its peers, but any tool that filters harmful or violent speech can also capture constitutionally protected dissent. The company says it’s aware the features could be used by government leaders to stifle opposing viewpoints, and so it’s excluding politicians initially from tests. Legal experts argue the automated tools could be abused by political leaders to more easily silence critics and bar them from reacting to and viewing their public comments, which would infringe on those users’ First Amendment rights. The debate raises a broader question: Why shouldn’t political figures — many of whom are the targets of frequent harassment and even death threats on social media — have access to new technology that helps fend off online abuse?

[Cristiano Lima is a tech news reporter for the Washington Post.]