Twitter disbands its ‘Trust and Safety Council’ that tackled harassment and child exploitation

Twitter has reportedly disbanded its Trust and Safety Council, which consisted of dozens of organizations designed to monitor public safety on the platform.

According to multiple reports, the council was supposed to discuss recent developments and changes made my the platforms new management under Elon Musk but members were apparently informed via email that Twitter is “reevaluating how best to bring external insights” and that the council is no longer “the best structure to do this.”

The group was reportedly disbanded just a few days after three members resigned from their voluntary positions. The three members said in a letter that the well-being of Twitter users is on the decline and said Musk should not be allowed to define digital safety on his platform.

In a response to the news of their departure, Musk tweeted: “It is a crime that they refused to take action on child exploitation for years!”

NPR reported soon after that the remaining members sent a letter to Twitter demanding the company to stop misrepresenting the council’s role.

Twitter formed the council in 2016 with the purpose of making the platform a place where “anyone, anywhere can express themselves safely and confidently.”

Musk said in October that he will form a “moderation council” made up of members with “widely diverse viewpoints” before he reinstates banned accounts but clarified in a later interview that he will still have the final say in making such decisions.