A person on X posted a threat to murder a celebrity despite rules on the platform formerly called Twitter that ban such posts.
The posts appeared to go against X's rules and remained on the social media site almost 12 hours after they first appeared.
Newsweek contacted representatives of the celebrity in question, comedian Amy Schumer. They said that their clients get threats on X and other social media platforms all the time and that they hope that news outlets and gossip blogs never amplify this.
Newsweek also contacted X by email for comment. X's policies state that the platform does not allow its users to "threaten, incite, glorify, or express desire for violence or harm."
"X is a place where people can express themselves, learn about what's happening, and debate global issues," it says on its website.
"However, healthy conversations can't thrive when violent speech is used to deliver a message. As a result, we may remove or reduce the visibility of violent speech in order to ensure the safety of our users and prevent the normalization of violent actions."
X's policy states that for any who violates its rules, especially those around violence, it will "immediately and permanently suspend any account that violates this policy."
"However, for most violations, we may instead temporarily lock you out of your account before you can Post again," the policy reads. "In rare cases, we may make the violative content less visible by restricting its reach on X.
"However, if you continue to violate this policy after receiving a warning, your account may be permanently suspended."
The policy also reads: "We also recognize that conversations regarding certain individuals credibly accused of severe violence may prompt outrage and associated violent speech. In these limited cases, we may take less punitive measures."
X has come under more fire for its changed attitudes to what its users post since billionaire Elon Musk bought the company in 2022 and took the reins of running it in October of that same year.
At the time he said he wanted to turn the social media platform into the free "town square of the Internet," where he loosened moderation guidelines and reinstated the previously blocked accounts of controversial figureheads such as, Donald Trump, Kanye West, and Jordan Peterson.
Musk said he wanted to bring free speech back to Twitter, but many data trackers noted explosions in hate speech on the platform since his took over including Jewish groups who told Newsweek in April 2023 that antisemitism had skyrocketed.
Updated 01/12/2024 at 12.50 p.m. ET with comment from celebrity's representatives. Also changes headline.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
