New Research shows Twitter often ignores or disregards racist and sexist tweets targeted at the nation’s second-highest-ranking elected official. The study proves despite hateful messages being reported to the social media platform, it has failed to respond with urgency to tweets that violate its rules and policy.
Based on findings from Bot Sentinel over 4,200 tweets (including some using the n-word, manipulated graphic images, and assassination threats) were directed at Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black and woman to serve in the capacity, between the months of January to June.
The non-partisan research organization works to combat disinformation and targeted harassment online. To complete research surrounding the vice president, Bot Sentinel used Twitter’s engagement rules as a benchmark. Christopher Bouzy, the founder of Bot Sentinel, said the organization contacted Twitter’s corporate office with their findings but to a very limited extent.
“All of those tweets violated their rules and policy when you look at them, and we made that available in the report,” Bouzy said in an interview with CBS News. “It shows manipulated photos, for example, of her in lewd sex acts. I mean, that’s a no-brainer right there, but it came back that it did not violate their policies.”
A representative from Twitter said originally the Bot Sentinel sent them data that was incorrect and initially admitted to having errors in their reporting on how the company enforced the platform’s content moderation rules with the VPOTUS.
Bouzy contends his research aligns with other bodies closely monitoring cyber abuse directed at Harris’ social media profiles. One of America’s leading Black woman’s groups also discovered derogatory, sexist, and bigoted messages targeting the vice president, and flagged his company for support after experiencing the same level of disregard or inactivity Bot Sentinel did.
“They were receiving the same messages that we ended up receiving, that those tweets were not violating their policies,” Bouzy recalled.
The firm released a composite of 40 tweets in May to share publicly their study results. Of the tweets, Twitter initially only took down only two, disregarded 18 of them, and assessed that the remaining 20 were not problematic or violated their policy. One of those tweets was an actual threat to kill Harris.
A spokesperson originally said before the tweets were highlighted 10 of the tweets submitted by Bot Sentinel did not violate engagement rules, and thus no response was needed.
Twitter would later determine, after further review, the tweets submitted by Bot Sentinel were abusive and the company’s initial assessment was incorrect.
After the nonprofit released the initial study, Twitter suspended 10 of the accounts from which the tweets originated. The company also removed all of the 40 tweets spotlighted by Bot Sentinel from the platform.
Bot Sentinel published Twitter’s full response on May 26 and released another list of 1363 abusive and problematic tweets directed at Vice President Kamala Harris that Twitter did not remove.
According to “The Twitter Facts,” the listed standard for how people should engage on the platform, no one is allowed to threaten or glorify “violence against an individual or a group of people” while participating in its “global conversation.”
Twitter users are also not supposed to “engage in the targeted harassment of someone or incite other people to do so,” including “wishing or hoping that someone experiences physical harm” nor are they permitted to “promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.”
Harris has endured countless attacks on social media, starting from her announcement to run for president in 2019.
In January, Eric Reed, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, made a vile and sexist slur referencing Harris on a post from former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka.
Gorka asked, “So what exactly are Kamala’s qualifications?”
Reed replied, “Heard she’s good on her knees!!”
While Twitter did not flag the comment, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” host John Barr did after Reed rose to national prominence when his 80-to-1 long shot horse won the Derby on May 7, and challenged him on the disrespect.
Fortune magazine believes it will only get more challenging, not only for Harris but for women and non-whites in general, if Elon Musk purchases Twitter — and restores his understanding of “freedom of speech” to the platform.
Experts believe this will open the gateway for those seeking to harass, disrespect, or mock people based on their gender, race, creed, or ability, to freely spew their bullying rhetoric without penalty or reprimand.
Amnesty International reported women of color are three times more likely to be assaulted online by users tweeting abusive or problematic messages, finding that Black women, in particular, are 84 percent more likely to be harassed with hateful tweets than white women. The vice president’s high profile makes her an easy target by those interested in this form of terrorism.
Neither the vice president’s office nor the White House has commented on the report.
