Digital Smarts - User Recourse Announced for Revenge Pictures on Twitter

Twitter recently announced a change to The Twitter Rules, explicitly prohibiting “revenge porn” or other non-consensual, intimate photos using the service, alongside its prohibitions against making threats due to a person's race, gender or age. The move comes two weeks after Reddit, another social media site cracked down on revenge porn itself. Under the new rules, Twitter users who see such photos of themselves posted online will be able to report the unauthorized material to the company. Only the subject of the photo -- or their legal representative -- is allowed to request a review and removal of the pictures. Those who post the photos are allowed to appeal a takedown decision if they feel it was unwarranted. Keep in mind, however, there is no estimate of how long it will take to remove a picture.

Unlike Reddit policies, if Twitter employees determine a photo does violate the new rules, the firm will not only hide the post from public view, but also lock the account of the person who posted it."[Those] users will be required to delete the content in question before being able to return to the platform," the company says on its Rules page. Those who post content intending to harass others could be suspended from Twitter altogether. If the photos become the subject of a legal investigation, the company says that it will follow its existing rules if asked to turn over personal information on the person who posts the pictures.