Safe as houses: Twitter's new speech policy means you can't wish harm on infrastructure

• Twitter on Tuesday announced a new violent speech policy for users of the site to adhere to.
• The new rules prohibit threats of violence against people — as well as infrastructure and buildings.

Under Twitter's new violent speech policy, threatening to kill or rape someone has the same consequence as threatening to damage infrastructure or business property.

"You may not threaten to inflict physical harm on others, which includes (but is not limited to) threatening to kill, torture, sexually assault, or otherwise hurt someone. This also includes threatening to damage civilian homes and shelters, or infrastructure that is essential to daily, civic, or business activities," Twitter's updated policy, announced Tuesday, reads.

Users will be "immediately and permanently" suspended from the social media platform "in most cases" when the policy is violated. In unspecified "less severe" instances, accounts may be temporarily locked.

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Representatives for Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's detailed request for comment about the violent speech policy updates.

—Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) February 28, 2023

The updated policy goes on to include, in another new addition to the rules: "You may not wish, hope, or express desire for harm. This includes (but is not limited to) hoping for others to die, suffer illnesses, tragic incidents, or experience other physically harmful consequences."

Under the previous version of the rule, statements that expressed a wish or hope that someone experiences physical harm were not actionable under the violent speech policy but, under certain circumstances could be addressed under the abusive behavior or hateful conduct policies, according to archives stored by the Wayback Machine of Twitter's previous violent speech policy.

Since Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover of the social media platform in October, he has changed the app's private information policy, banned a college student who tracked his private jet, and changed the site's policy on satire accounts after a swath of comedians with verified checkmarks pretended to be the billionaire.

It is unclear what prompted the change in the violent speech policy.