Elaine Jean Tech 12.01.2021 10:Dec AM EST

Twitter Update: Platform Will Remove Images Tweeted Without Consent

A new Twitter update 2021 announced on Tuesday, Nov. 30, that it will no longer allow private people's photos and videos to be shared without their permission.

People can contact the Twitter platform to have such media removed, according to the amendment to its Twitter Safety private information policy.

Twitter Error

Twitter Update 2021

If the media and tweet are of public interest, the restriction does not apply, but content featuring such people may be removed if the site decides it was shared "to harass, intimidate, or use fear to silence them."

According to CNET, Twitter announced, "we will always try to assess the context in which the content is shared and, in such cases, we may allow the images or videos to remain on the service."

It may be permitted to remain on Twitter if the image or video is publicly available, is being covered by news outlets, or "adds value to the public discourse."

People may share photographs of private individuals in a crisis situation to aid them, according to the Twitter announcement, and this may outweigh the safety hazards.

Twitter Safety

BBC reported that the move is part of Twitter's private information policy, which the company claims is intended to safeguard users from physical or mental harm.

Twitter users are already prohibited from publishing people's home addresses, government IDs, and other sensitive information under the policy.

The social media giant claims that disclosing someone's age or job title, as well as publishing screenshots of text messages, are not against its guidelines.

Users are also prohibited from publishing nude images of persons without their agreement, according to the company's policy.

Anyone can report rule-breaking tweets by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner of the tweet, selecting Report Tweet, selecting "It's abusive or harmful," and selecting "Includes private information."

Sharing Private Media on Twitter

Images are an important component of Twitter users' safety experience.

Twitter believes that when people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in a piece of media, they should be able to choose whether or not it is shared.

Sharing such content could jeopardize users' privacy and cause physical or emotional harm.

The company will remove the media if Twitter receives a notification from the individuals depicted, or their authorized representative, that they do not consent to it being shared.

However, public people are exempted from this policy.

What Is Considered A Violation?

Twitter users can't distribute the following categories of private information without the permission of the person who owns it, according to the Twitter Update 2021:

home address or physical location information, such as street addresses, GPS coordinates, or other identifying information associated with private locales;
identity documents, such as government-issued identification cards and social security or other national identity numbers - notice that in some locations, this information is not deemed private, we may make limited exceptions;
contact information, such as personal phone numbers or email addresses that are not publicly available;
information about financial accounts, such as bank account and credit card numbers; and
biometric data or medical records, among other private information

Without the permission of the person(s) depicted, media of private individuals is used.

The following actions are also prohibited:

threatening to reveal someone's personal details to the public;
disclosing information that would allow someone to steal or obtain access to someone's sensitive information without their consent, such as online banking sign-in credentials;
requesting or proposing a monetary compensation in exchange for publishing someone's personal details;
requesting a bounty or monetary prize in exchange for not publishing someone's confidential information, often known as blackmail.