Terror on Twitter: Changes are on its way

Bengaluru, March 1: As awesome as Twitter may be, there is a flip side attached to the micro blogging site. While it has become a way to communicate and stay updated, it has also become a paradise for self styled analysts, hate mongers and terrorists.

Twitter has come under immense pressure to do more to stop terrorists from operating on its network and at the moment it appears as though some welcome changes are on their way.

New tools to report harassment, hate speeches, self harm, sharing of private/confidential information and self harm are on its way. These tools may even be available as early as next week.

The criticism against Twitter:

46000 accounts dedicated to the ISIS, 24000 to the Al-Qaeda and scores of hate mongers is what Twitter has.

Intelligence agencies from across the world had raised a red alert against this growing menace and even accused Twitter of not doing enough.

We cannot always be the ones to point out accounts which are proving to be a menace to national security.

Wish Twitter was more pro-active in its approach and did something on their own as well instead of waiting for someone to report to them, an Intelligence Bureau official pointed out.

Twitter needs to scan accounts by itself and report them to the Intelligence Agencies. All these years it has been the other way around.

Under the garb of free speech Twitter cannot take a back seat on matters which are so crucial to national security, the officer also says.

Twitter was however quick to argue and said that they do not follow a different policy on social media when compared to the rest of the micro blogging sites. We work behind the scenes with several agencies, Twitter had also said.

Intelligence and Twitter cannot do everything:

There are numerous people who keep a watch on shady accounts on Twitter. Reporting such accounts has not been easy.

Normally a person who spots such an account makes a hue and cry on his timeline which in turn needs to be noticed by an Intelligence official who in turns directs Twitter to take it down.

The new tools which are on its way will make it easier for users to report terrorists accounts and also hate mongers who speak under the garb of free speech.

Twitter says that it has tripled the number of people who keep tabs on such accounts. The handles reported for abuse too are being reviewed at least five times more than what it used to do.

In addition to this, Twitter will also check in detail the phone numbers and email ids that are attached to a handle.

This would enable the security agencies to track such anti nationals and hate mongers better.

OneIndia News