Twitter Restores Suicide-Prevention Feature After Briefly Taking It Down
As Twitter works round the clock to keep users on its platform, it appears that an important safety tool had recently vanished, with Reuters reporting that the #ThereIsHelp suicide prevention banner was no longer appearing on the site.
However, it seems the disappearance of the feature was just temporary, as Head of Trust and Safety Ella Irwin confirmed that the banner had indeed been removed, but only for “fixing and revamping,” and that it would be “back up next week.”
Of course, nothing that happens on Twitter escapes the eye of perhaps soon-to-be-ex Chief Twit, Elon Musk, who strangely denied that the social network had ever removed the feature. Though, when Engadget searched for terms including “suicide,” the tool didn’t showup.
“1. The message is actually still up. This is fake news. 2. Twitter doesn’t prevent suicide,” Musk said in a tweet, though he did not elaborate further on what his statements meant.
1. The message is actually still up. This is fake news.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2022
2. Twitter doesn’t prevent suicide.
Going forward, it seems Twitter will be picking up a thing or two from Google, as Irwin said the platform is looking to mirror some of the search engine’s approaches in the upcoming changes, which will help ensure the tool continues “to be relevant.”
Naturally, the disappearance of the suicide prevention feature alarmed some users, leading Eirliani Abdul Rahman, a former member of the site’s defunct Trust and Safety Council, to speak out. She told Reuters she found the removal “extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing.”
Rahman said that typically, social media platforms would work on improving a tool’s safety features “in parallel” with the existing model, and not by removing the banners completely.
It remains to be seen when the #ThereIsHelp feature will return, and what updates will enable it to be more effective in keeping users on the network safe.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with thoughts of suicide, please remember that help is always available. Affected individuals in the US can text “HOME” to 741741 or reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to talk to an expert. For international helplines and resources, please visit here.
[via Engadget and Reuters, cover image via Tomasz Smigla | Dreamstime.com]
