Users can now access data around Twitter’s policies on its new Transparency Center
Twitter’s new Transparency Center is expected to help build user trust and navigate its complex relationship with governments around the world.  Â
Twitter is transitioning its biannual transparency report into an official Transparency Center, following speculation around the platform’s data practices. This announcement comes as the US Presidential Election draws nearer.
According to Twitter, the website will make it easier for people to compare trends over time. It will also have a country-wise comparison module and Twitter is highlighting current milestones, like total number of content takedowns, copyright notices, information requests and more.
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The company will also be adding reports in Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Japanese, and Portuguese soon, it said in a blog post. At the moment, the website has data for the July-December 2019 period, with data for January-June 2020 to be added soon.
“Our work to increase transparency efforts across the company is tireless and constant. We will continue to work on increasing awareness and understanding about how our policies work and our practices around content moderation, data disclosures and other critical areas. In addition, we will take every opportunity to highlight the actions of law enforcement, governments, and other organizations that impact Twitter and the people who use our service across the world,†said Twitter in a blog post.
Protecting the #OpenInternetOpens a new window is a key objective for Twitter – it’s why we exist. There are two key areas to consider:
1. Avoid entrenching the dominance of the biggest players by protecting competition
2. Focus on how content is discovered + amplified, less on removal alone— Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) July 30, 2020Opens a new window
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As per the blog postOpens a new window , Twitter is likely to have a country-wise comparison module too. It will help the users compare different trends easily. The platform is also working on highlighting different milestones like the total number of contents that have been taken down during the period of coronavirus pandemic, some copyright notices, information requests, etc.
The new Transparency Center will provide:
- Brand new website that includes all disclosed data (on Twitter) in one placeÂ
- Data visualizations making it easier to compare trends over timeÂ
- Country comparison module
- Tool tips to help explain key terms and provide more insights on the Twitter’s terms
- History of transparency milestones and updates
- New metrics and methodology on the enforcement of the Twitter Rules (from July 2018 through December 2019)
- New policy categories to better align with the Twitter Rules
Data on transparency reflects the period from July 1 to December 31, 2019. The next update to the data will cover the period of January – June 2020.
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The site also includes all of Twitter’s disclosed data in one place and data visualizations that make it easier to compare trends over time and by country.Â
The latest data on the site reflects the period from July through December 2019. Typically, the company tries to release this information every six months, but COVID-19 and getting the new transparency center up and running caused delays, the blog post said. The next update will cover January through June 2020.Â
The data doesn’t include any information on enforcement of Twitter’s efforts to curb coronavirus misinformation on the platform.Â