Twitter CEO promises new rules to crack down on hate, violence and sexual harassment

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says the company will take a ‘more aggressive’ stance in its rules and how it enforces them.

Twitter promises more aggressive rules to take on hate and violent content on its platform. (REUTERS)

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Sunday said that the company will be modifying its policies around how it vets content. The micro-blogging platform had drawn flak after it temporarily suspended the account of actress Rose McGowan who had tweeted about sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood.

In a series of tweets, Dorsey said that the social network would up its game when it comes to monitoring content and policing hateful and harassing tweets on the platform after the company took several critical decisions late on Saturday.

The response comes after thousands of Twitter users on Friday called for a boycott of the micro blogging site after it temporarily suspended the account of actress Rose McGowan who had tweeted about sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

7/ New rules around: unwanted sexual advances, non-consensual nudity, hate symbols, violent groups, and tweets that glorifies violence.

— jack (@jack) October 14, 2017

A movement began around the hashtag #WomenBoycottTwitter, encouraging women to avoid the platform on Friday, October 13.

Dorseyat that time wrote: "We need to be a lot more transparent in our actions in order to build trust."

"Twitter will take a 'more aggressive stance' regarding its rules involving 'unwanted sexual advances, non-consensual nudity, hate symbols, violent groups and tweets that glorify violence," Dorsey tweeted.

He said the changes would start going into effect in the next few weeks and that the company would provide more details next week.