Twitter simplifies its rules to emphasize safety, privacy and authenticity

Twitter is giving its rules a refresh. The social media platform said Thursday that it's making its rules easier to understand with simple, clear language. Twitter cut its rules from 2,500 total words to under 600, and it also organized the rules into categories for safety, privacy and authenticity. 

"Rules should be easy to understand," the Twitter Safety account tweeted. "We heard you, ours weren't. We updated, reordered, and shortened them, so you can know what's not allowed on Twitter. Click through this thread for all our rules, and read our blog to learn more."

More information -- including examples, detailed instructions on how to report something and information on what happens when Twitter takes action -- is being added to the rule pages, Twitter's vice president of trust and safety, Del Harvey, said in a blog post. 

In an effort to be more transparent, the platform is working to ensure each rule has a help page with detailed information and resources listed on it. Twitter will next work to update rules around abuse and harassment, hateful conduct, suicide or self-harm, and copyright, Harvey said in the post.

"Our focus remains on keeping everyone safe and supporting a healthier public conversation on Twitter," she wrote.

Twitter, along with other social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, has grappled with hate speech and misinformation on its platform. Last year it banned Tommy Robinson, founder of the far-right English Defence League, from its site, as well as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

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