According to Twitter Safety, accounts that break certain rules will face “less severe actions” in the form of requiring the user to delete a rule-breaking tweet before they can resume using the account — or, in other cases, demoting that tweet so that it doesn’t reach many people. Those are things that existed pre-Musk, but it appears they’ll be used in a greater number of instances where, under previous policies, the accounts would be suspended.
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
Accounts that engage in “Severe violations” or “ongoing, repeat violations” will still face suspension, however, under the new policies. In a separate tweet, Twitter revealed what it considers a severe violation, including violating privacy rules, threatening (or inciting) violence, promoting or participating in things that are illegal, targeted harassment, and actions related to spam and platform manipulation.
Of note, Twitter says that all users will be able to appeal if their account was suspended under the old policies; when evaluated, the decision to uphold the suspension or reinstate the account will be based on the new policies, according to Twitter. The appeal process will go live on February 1, though it’s unclear how long it may take Twitter’s much smaller teams to review the appeals and issue decisions.
