- tech360.tv
Twitter Safety Executive Leaves After Elon Musk's Criticism
Updated: Jan 4
[Edited] Ella Irwin, the head of trust and safety at Twitter, has announced her resignation from the social media company.
Irwin's departure comes as Twitter has faced criticism for its lax protections against harmful content since being acquired by billionaire Elon Musk in October.
Irwin, who joined Twitter in June 2022, took over as the head of the trust and safety team in November after the previous head, Yoel Roth, resigned. She was responsible for overseeing content moderation. When contacted for comment, an email to Twitter returned an automated reply with a poop emoji. Irwin declined to provide further comment, and Musk has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The resignation of Irwin comes at a time when Twitter has been struggling to retain advertisers, with brands being cautious about appearing next to unsuitable content.
Earlier this month, Musk announced the hiring of Linda Yaccarino, former NBCUniversal advertising chief, as Twitter's new CEO. Fortune had previously reported that Irwin's internal Slack account appeared to have been deactivated.
Since Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the company has implemented significant cost-cutting measures and laid off thousands of employees, including those who were involved in efforts to prevent harmful and illegal content, protect election integrity, and ensure the surfacing of accurate information on the platform.
Musk has been promoting a feature called Community Notes, which allows users to add context to tweets, as a way to combat misleading information on Twitter. However, the company is facing increasing scrutiny from regulators regarding its moderation efforts.
Twitter recently withdrew from a voluntary agreement with the European Union to tackle disinformation, while stating its commitment to complying with upcoming internet rules in the EU. EU industry chief Thierry Breton warned Twitter last week that it would still be obligated to fulfill legal obligations in the EU despite quitting the voluntary agreement.
The resignation of Ella Irwin highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Twitter in maintaining effective content moderation and protecting users from harmful content. With the appointment of a new CEO and increasing regulatory scrutiny, the future of Twitter's trust and safety efforts remains uncertain.
Ella Irwin, the head of trust and safety at Twitter, has resigned from the company amidst criticism for its lax content protections.
Twitter has struggled to retain advertisers due to concerns about unsuitable content.
Elon Musk recently hired Linda Yaccarino as Twitter's new CEO.
Source: REUTERS