Twitter will delete private images of users on request

Twitter announced on Tuesday stricter rules for sharing people’s media without permission. The platform will remove images from users upon request if the images are distributed without permission from the creator or the person on the images.

In a blog post, Twitter makes the new measures known. Twitter will intervene if a report is made of personal images that are shared on the platform without permission. If incorrect use of images is detected during a report, the images will be taken offline.

The new rules complement Twitter’s existing rules. It was already forbidden to share someone’s personal information, such as a telephone number or address. This now also applies to images that are published without the permission of the person being portrayed.

According to Twitter, it is an important measure because it is becoming more and more common for individuals to be bullied and intimidated online. In addition, media are regularly published that violate the privacy of the victim. Twitter mentions that it can have a major effect on their well-being, especially among women, activists, dissidents and minorities.

There are exceptions in which people’s media may be shared without permission. This includes, for example, images of public figures or images that have news value. Twitter writes that it always looks at the context before images are removed.