Bloomberg: Twitter gives ‘VIP’ users more protection from trolls

‘Prominent’ Twitter users get a higher level of protection against trolls, for example, and complaints made related to those users are dealt with more quickly by moderators. Twitter confirmed this to Bloomberg.

The system, called Project Guardian, should ensure that these users come into contact with trolls and online bullies less, according to Twitter. writes Bloomberg. Twitter claims that the moderators will not test messages differently than ‘normal’ users, but only that it will happen faster. It is unclear whether this only concerns users who file complaints about the VIPs, or whether it also concerns VIPs who file complaints about users.

These ‘prominent’ users include people with a lot of followers. However, it is not just about famous users. People who have gone viral at once, both positive and negative, can also be temporarily or permanently placed on the Guardian VIP list. According to Twitter, there are currently “thousands” of accounts on the list, most of which are not aware of it themselves. Twitter has been using the list for a number of years, Bloomberg writes.

The Wall Street Journal wrote in September about a similar concept from Facebook. That came in for a lot of criticism, as users labeled “VIP” by the platform were reportedly able to break many Facebook rules with no associated consequences.