Twitter in recent days removed a tool that promotes suicide prevention hotlines and other safety features for users looking for certain content, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. The sources said Elon Musk ordered the withdrawal of the tool.
The feature, called #ThereIsHelp, displays at the top of specific search results contacts for support organizations in many countries related to mental health, HIV, vaccines, child exploitation, Covid-19, gender-based violence, natural disasters and freedom of expression.
Representatives for Twitter and Musk declined to comment.
The US organization AIDS United, which was promoted by the hashtag #ThereIsHelp, and the group iLaw, which supports free speech in Thailand, told Reuters on Friday (23) that the end of the tool was surprising.
AIDS United said a web page linked to the Twitter feature drew about 70 views a day through Dec. 18. It has since attracted 14 total views.
Eirliani Abdul Rahman, who was recently on Twitter’s disbanded content advisory group, said the disappearance of #ThereIsHelp is “extremely baffling and deeply disturbing.”
Even though it was only temporarily removed to make room for improvements, “normally you would be working on it in parallel, you wouldn’t remove it,” she said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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