How Zelda Williams Will Change Twitter's Troll Policy

A while back, we offered a '5 Things' post about "How to exterminate Internet trolls." Apparently, some of you didn't get the memo because something really (expletive) awful happened to the grieving Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams. @twitter HEY SOMEBODY OVER THERE!! ERASE THE ACCOUNTS OF @pimpstory and @mrgoosebuster. THEY ARE TERRORIZING @zeldawilliams!!! DO IT NOW!! — Freddy Noriega (@elfredderino) August 13, 2014 The tweet says it all. Thousands of others chimed in because those two aforementioned stains on humanity were sending Zelda pics of ... her deceased father. Of course the photos were fake, but the claims were bad enough. Twitter finally got the message and let the trolls know: "We're coming for you." If you check this story from the Washington Post, you can read the horrifying details of two punk trolls who have way too much time on their hands and decided to terrify a grief-stricken young lady in order to satisfy themselves in some sick way. What's wrong with people?! I'm sorry. I should've risen above. Deleting this from my devices for a good long time, maybe forever. Time will tell. Goodbye. — Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) August 13, 2014 Twitter wisely followed with a statement (as seen in this story from CNN): "We will not tolerate abuse of this nature on Twitter," Del Harvey, Twitter's vice president of trust and safety, said in a statement. "We have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one. This includes expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information, and improving support for family members of deceased users." These two may have been anonymous "trolls", but their intent to harass was very real. In response, Zelda took the classy route on Tumblr, posting a remembrance of her father: "To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh. As for those who are sending negativity, know that some small, giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car. Right after you've had it washed. After all, he loved to laugh too." Hopefully this incident will inspire Twitter to double down on its plans to starve the trolls.

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How Zelda Williams Will Change Twitter's Troll Policy

Shawn Paul Wood

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Shawn Paul Wood