Report: Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council has Been Dissolved After Three Members Recently Resigned

It has been reported that Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council has been dissolved after three members recently resigned.

A Twitter news source shared an email that said was addressed to the Council members and said that it is no longer the best structure to “bring external insights into our product and policy development work.”

The email said, however, that Twitter would continue to welcome their ideas going forward about how to make Twitter a “safe, informative place.”

Full email: pic.twitter.com/4dqgikCdw1

— T(w)itter Takeover News  (@TitterTakeover) December 13, 2022

The “about” page for the Twitter Trust and Safety Council now reads “nothing to see here.” A preview that is still available on Google says, “The Twitter Trust and Safety Council is a group of independent expert organizations from around the world. Together, they advocate for safety and advise us…”

One apparent now former member of the Council, Alex Holmes, sounded off on the move in a three-part tweet.

“Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council was a group of volunteers who over many years gave up their time when consulted by Twitter staff to offer advice on a wide range of online harms and safety issues. At no point was it a governing body or decision making.”

“It is disappointing therefore that after much postponement, a meeting was cancelled and an email sent informing group that the council was disbanded. Over past week several members of council have had their personal safety and well-being impacted by the actions of Twitter staff.”

“Many of us have been in this space for a number of years, each with different expertise, but all with a passion to see healthy and diverse conversations and safety exist on platforms. The way this has unfolded and way members have been treated is unfortunate and unacceptable.”

Twitter's Trust and Safety Council was a group of volunteers who over many years gave up their time when consulted by Twitter staff to offer advice on a wide range of online harms and safety issues.

At no point was it a governing body or decision making.

— Alex Holmes 🏳️‍🌈 (@abcholmes) December 13, 2022

As we previously reported on Friday, Elon Musk was accused of spreading fake news by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and in response, Musk told him that child safety wasn’t a priority for Twitter previously.

The situation began on a Twitter thread from Anne Collier, who announced that she and two others had resigned from Twitter’s Trust & Safety Council.

Collier, Eirliani Abdul Rahman, and Lesley Podesta released a joint statement on their resignations which she shared in a tweet.

In a response today, commentator Mike Cernovich told Collier that “You all belong in jail” and shared a Jan. 2021 article from the New York Post about a lawsuit that alleged that “Twitter refused to remove child porn because it didn’t ‘violate policies.’”

Musk then weighed in and responded to Cernovich that he believes “It is a crime that they refused to take action on child exploitation for years!”

It was then that Dorsey accused Musk of spreading fake news as he told him, “this is false.”

Musk fired back, “No, it is not. When Ella Irwin, who now runs Trust & Safety, joined Twitter earlier this year, almost no one was working on child safety.”

“She raised this with Ned & Parag, but they rejected her staffing request. I made it top priority immediately. @ellagirwin” Musk explained.

Jack Dorsey Accuses Elon Musk of Spreading Fake News, Musk Fires Back that Child Safety Wasn’t a Priority for Twitter Previously