Is it a question of too-little, too-late? The social network Twitter has confirmed that it is ‘testing’ ways to make it simpler for users to report abuse. Thousands of people signed a petition demanding change – there were even calls for a Twitter ‘boycott’ – after it came under fire for failing to react quickly enough after the rape threats made against Caroline Criado-Perez, the campaigner who called for more women on bank notes.
Ms Criado-Perez was shocked by the flood of online threats in the hours after the Bank of England announced that future £10 notes would include a portrait of the author Jane Austen. She quickly involved the police who arrested a 21-year-old in Manchester on suspicion of harassment offences.
Labour MP Stella Creasy
Also a victim of abuse
To compound matters, the abuse didn’t just affect Caroline Criado-Perez herself. Several of the high-profile women who came out to condemn the attacks found themselves victims as well. They included MPs, such as Stella Creasy – the MP for Walthamstow – and Claire Perry – the member for Devizes – who’s been advising the Prime Minister on measures to tackle the spread of extreme pornography. Detectives are investigating both cases.
However, it was the stunning silence from Twitter itself, at least in the beginning, which concerns many people. The incident has threatened to become a PR disaster for the business with celebrities expressing their disgust at what had happened and saying they might even close their accounts. As comedian Dara O’Brianin wrote on his own Twitter account, “If the ladies leave twitter because of all the dumb, rapey 14 year old boys, then I’m outta here people. Like most grown-up men too, I’d say”
There have been reports that senior officers from Twitter have offered to meet Ms Criado-Perez and MPs to discuss the way forward. The network has also confirmed plans to include a “report abuse” button, saying that this was already available on iPhone and would be available on Android and desktops shortly.
Twitter however finds itself between a rock and a hard place. If it fails to act, it will face the opprobrium of thousands – if not millions – of current users, many of whom may simply walk away from the social network in disgust. But on the other hand with an estimated 400m tweets a day, a “report abuse” button would take a huge effort to monitor effectively. As the Telegraph’s chief technology columnist, Mic Wright, has warned, a “Report Abuse” button could allow “any armchair activist to make a vague stand without putting in any time, effort or thought.” Sorting such “vague stands” from real abuse will cost a lot of time, effort and money. But for Twitter, it may be a price worth paying.