Twitter bows to pressure, adds abuse report button

Twitter has unveiled last week a system to report online abuse through tweets. 

The new ‘Flag Media’ will show up in the lower right hand corner of a tweet. 

Twitter, which previously did not have any system in place to report offensive images or tweets, added the Flag Media after more than 125,000 people signed a petition at change.org demanding the social media network add an abuse reporting button. 

The petition reads: “Abuse on Twitter is common; sadly too common. And it frequently goes ignored. We need Twitter to recognise that its current reporting system is below required standards. It currently requires users to search for details on how to report someone for abuse; a feature that should be available on each user’s page.

“It is time Twitter took a zero tolerance policy on abuse, and learns to tell the difference between abuse and defence. Women standing up to abuse should not fear having their accounts cancelled because Twitter fail to see the issue at hand.

“The report abuse button needs to be accompanied by Twitter reviewing the T&C on abusive behaviour to reflect an awareness of the complexity of violence against women, and the multiple oppressions women face.”

The petition came about after two women in the UK, Caroline Criado-Perez and Labour Party politician Stella Creasy, received rape threats and several female journalists received bombs threats.