Twitter disbands Trust and Safety Council

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - Under new CEO Elon Musk, Twitter dissolved its Trust and Safety Council late on Monday, according to media reports.

Members of the body were informed in an email that the council was no longer "the best structure" to bring "external insights into our product and policy development work," the Washington Post reported.

This email arrived shortly before members of the council were expecting a video meeting with Twitter representatives to discuss recent developments, said the report, citing sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"We are grateful for your engagement, advice and collaboration in recent years and wish you every success in the future," said the email.

According to one unnamed council member, the move amounted to throwing away "years of institutional memory that we on the council have brought" to the company.

Twitter formed the advisory group in 2016 to make the platform safer and to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm, and other problems.

It comprised some 100 members of independent civil, human rights, and other organizations.

Musk's ownership of Twitter, now rounding out its first month, has been marked by widespread chaos at the company, as he seeks to make it profitable through mass layoffs and by introducing policies that have been met with widespread internal opposition.