- Twitter will prohibit users from sharing photos and videos of other people without their permission.
- If the subject reports the media posted without their permission, Twitter says it will remove it.
- It's an addition to Twitter's doxxing policies banning the sharing of info like home addresses.
Twitter will prohibit users from posting photos or videos of people without their permission, the company said Tuesday.
In a blog post, the company said users will have to file a first-person report or one from an "authorized representative" to ensure that the photo or video has been shared without permission. If the person in the tweet reports it, citing their lack of consent, Twitter will remove the media.
There are, however, exceptions to the new rule. Photos and videos of public figures posted without their permission may remain when "shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse" unless the purpose is to "harass, intimidate, or use fear to silence them."
Twitter also said it will also try to take context into account on a case-by-case basis. If, for example, the image is publicly available or is being covered by traditional media outlets, Twitter would consider that as it makes its decision, it said.
It's unclear how Twitter will enforce the new policy or what resources may be directed to enforcement.
The move is an addition to Twitter's existing "doxxing" policies, which forbid users from sharing home addresses, identity documents, contact information, and other personal details without the subject's permission.
It was this batch of rules that Twitter in part cited when it banned the URL of a dubious New York Post story purporting to show ties between then-presidential candidate Joe Biden's son and Ukraine in late 2020.
The article included public information, which violated Twitter's rules when the news outlet posted the story on its Twitter account. However, a Twitter spokesperson later said the story had spread so widely that that information was now considered publicly available. Former CEO Jack Dorsey also later said it was "wrong" to ban the URL.