When they have reason to believe that one of their users may be in danger, internet services like Twitter, Google, and Facebook try to route those users to well-known resource providers like government hotlines. This practice has been going on for years.
However, in the past few days, Twitter Inc. deleted a feature that pushed suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources to users looking up certain content. According to two people familiar with the subject, Elon Musk, the company’s new owner, ordered the removal of the tool.
It has not been previously reported that the function, which was referred to as #ThereIsHelp, was removed. It has shown contacts for support organizations in several countries at the top of specialized queries about mental health, HIV, vaccines, child sexual exploitation, COVID-19, gender-based violence, natural disasters, and freedom of expression.
Its removal may add to existing concerns about the safety of Twitter users who are particularly susceptible. Even though researchers and civil rights organizations have tracked an increase in tweets containing racial slurs and other hateful content, Musk has stated that impressions or views of harmful content have been declining since he took over in October and has tweeted graphs showing a downward trend.
In response to requests for comment on eliminating the feature, neither Twitter nor Musk responded.
