Blog

Twitter announces new rules about location sharing

In November, for instance of his dedication to free speech, Elon Musk promised that he wouldn’t ban an account that tracked his private jet regardless of claiming it was a “direct private security threat.” At the moment, that account was suspended. Then restored. Then suspended once more. It’s not but clear what the long run holds for @ElonJet, however its destiny might be tied to a new set of rules from Twitter Security about the way it handles accounts sharing location data for different individuals.

In accordance with a series of tweets outlining the new policy, sharing the stay location of one other particular person is now prohibited except it’s associated to a “public engagement or occasion,” like a live performance or a political occasion. “When somebody shares a person’s stay location on Twitter, there may be an elevated threat of bodily hurt,” the announcement reads. “Transferring ahead, we’ll take away Tweets that share this data, and accounts devoted to sharing another person’s stay location can be suspended.” The thread goes on to make clear that these guidelines solely apply to the placement of “another person.” You’ll be able to nonetheless Tweet your personal whereabouts.

Historic location data is allowed, nevertheless, as long as “an inexpensive time has elapsed, in order that the person is not in danger for bodily hurt.” That a part of the coverage might depart room for an account like @Elonjet — and whereas the account was briefly restored this afternoon, on the time of this writing it’s as soon as once more suspended, as are the non-public accounts of Jack Sweeny, the school pupil who runs @Elonjet. 

All merchandise really helpful by Engadget are chosen by our editorial group, impartial of our mum or dad firm. A few of our tales embody affiliate hyperlinks. When you purchase one thing via considered one of these hyperlinks, we might earn an affiliate fee. All costs are appropriate on the time of publishing.

Related Articles

Back to top button