MONEY > MODERATION

Twitter Execs Reportedly Ignored Warnings About Hate Speech on ‘Spaces’

Employees described Twitter’s management of the Spaces product as a “dumpster fire,” among other adjectives.

Twitter brass was well aware the company’s soon-to-be-launched Spaces audio platform could feature users who broke its rules by posting hate speech—but the project was pushed ahead anyway, according to The Washington Post. The newspaper reported that Kayvon Beykpour, the head of consumer product and Twitter, acknowledged to employees that users would likely violate its rules on the platform and there was not a proper plan in place to combat such behavior. Now, racists, Taliban supporters, and white nationalists have taken root, using the product for audio broadcasts that aren’t moderated by Twitter. “Dumpster fire does not even begin to describe” how Spaces are managed, a former employee told the Post. A Twitter spokeswoman acknowledged that the audio was not moderated. “Ensuring people’s safety and encouraging healthy conversations, while helping hosts and listeners to control their experience, have been key priorities since the beginning of [Spaces’] development,” Viviana Wiewall said. “We’re exploring avenues in this regard, but it’s not something that we have available at this time.”