How Can Twitter Better Combat Online Harassment?

There will always be trolls on the Internet, but what Twitter needs is to be proactive and deliver stronger messaging about how it's addressing the problem.

There’s an ugly side to social media. The same platforms that provide the infrastructure for raising awareness for social causes are also used to harass and bully others. Most of the big networks handle harassment better than others, but Twitter is one of the biggest that seems to grapple with this challenge frequently.

Recently, Twitter has been taking steps to address the problem. In addition to updating its policy on hate speech near the end of 2015, Twitter announced a Trust & Safety Council, wherein it works with advocates, academics and grassroots organisations to provide input on platform safety products and protocols.

According to Amy Edel-Vaughn, content developer at creative agency EGC Group, these efforts are great for generating conversation, but the bigger issue is in the enforcement of conduct policies.

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