New Twitter Rules: Reduced Reach Instead of Suspensions
It’s no secret that Twitter has been going through some major changes ever since Elon Musk came on board. And his most recent change involves some new Twitter rules, including less severe punishments for certain violations. Although most users don’t have to worry about breaking the rules, it’s still important to know what’s going on since it will result in changes.
In this article, you’ll learn what these new Twitter rules mean and how you can stay in compliance. Plus, you may see some previously-suspended accounts making a return.
New Twitter Rules: Policy-Violating Accounts Will See Reduced Reach Instead of Suspensions
In November 2022, Elon Musk tweeted about a new Twitter policy centered around “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.” Essentially, this approach would mean that rule-breaking tweets would still be active on the platform, but would have reduced reach in the algorithm.
Musk went on to say, “Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter.” This would apply to the individual tweet, not the user’s entire account. However, upon tweeting this information, the change was already attracting criticism from users. Many questioned who would decide what was deemed to be a negative or hate tweet, some urging him to provide a further explanation that never came.
Since then, the @TwitterSafety account has said that policy-violating tweets will have limited reach. And in some cases, you may be asked to remove the tweet in question before you can continue using your account.
What this means is that Twitter won’t be so quick to suspend accounts over certain violations. The new Twitter rules state that account suspension will be reserved for “severe or ongoing, repeat violation” of policies. The tweet below explains what is considered a severe violation so you can make sure you aren’t putting your account at risk.
Severe violations include but are not limited to: engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, privacy violations, platform manipulation or spam, and engaging in targeted harassment of our users.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 28, 2023
Twitter Has Already Been Reinstating Previously-Suspended Accounts
If you haven’t heard, Twitter has already been working behind the scenes to reinstate some previously-suspended accounts. In December 2022, the @TwitterSafety account tweeted that, in some cases, “permanent suspension was a disproportionate action for breaking Twitter rules.”
In January 2023, the account posted a tweet thread sharing more information regarding this action. Starting February 1, 2023, anyone can appeal an account suspension. It will then be evaluated under their new and updated criteria for reinstatement. You can click on the tweet below to read the full thread for more information.
As we shared earlier, we have been proactively reinstating previously suspended accounts. Starting February 1, anyone can appeal an account suspension and be evaluated under our new criteria for reinstatement. https://t.co/2MR8yonMlM
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 28, 2023
The account goes on to say that they did not reinstate accounts that “engaged in illegal activity, threats of harm or violence, large-scale spam and platform manipulation, or when there was no recent appeal to have the account reinstated.”
How to Make Sure You Stay in Compliance With Twitter Rules
The last thing anyone wants is to put their Twitter account at risk. Luckily, most of us don’t have to worry about this. We wouldn’t dream of doing any of the things that violate the official Twitter rules. However, it’s understandable that you don’t want to get in trouble. You don’t post a tweet that gets “deboosted” or do anything to get suspended.
When it comes to the platform’s rules, Twitter is focused on safety, privacy, and authenticity. You cannot tweet anything that’s considered violent, abusive, or deemed to be harassment. You’re also not allowed to share someone’s private information such as their home phone number or address. And of course, there’s no spam or impersonation allowed.
That’s just a small portion of what’s not allowed on Twitter. To gain a full understanding of what is deemed to be a violation, be sure to read the official Twitter rules.