Exclusive: Elon Musk orders removal of Twitter suicide prevention feature, sources say

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Twitter removed a feature in the past few days that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources to users looking up certain content, according to two people familiar with the matter who said it was ordered by new owner Elon Musk

Twitter logo and Elon Musk silhouette are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Its elimination could add to concerns about the well-being of vulnerable users on Twitter. Musk has said that impressions, or views, of harmful content are declining since he took over in October and has tweeted graphs showing a downward trend, even as researchers and civil rights groups have tracked an increase in tweets with racial slurs and other hateful content.

Reuters could not immediately establish why Musk would order the removal of the feature. The sources with knowledge of his decision declined to be named because they feared retaliation. One of them said millions of people had encountered #ThereIsHelp messages. In part due to pressure from consumer safety groups, internet services including Twitter, Google and Facebook have for years tried to direct users to well-known resource providers such as government hotlines when they suspect someone may be in danger.

Alex Goldenberg, lead intelligence analyst at the non-profit Network Contagion Research Institute, said prompts that had shown in search results just days ago were no longer visible by Thursday.

 

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Why don’t you do your part? You are media too

They anounced this AFTER the first story broke, announcing a forthcoming replacement. Not live yet, leaving the most vulnerable without help during the time of year suicide spikes. A nice CYA attempt, but still obviously just that.

Hey elonmusk , remember when you did this, then lied about doing it, then bowed the knee and brought it back again without even having the decency to apologise? That was a wild ride, even by the low standards of your three ring clown show. 🤡🤡🤡

Just in time for the holidays.

elonmusk see my homepage plz

Maybe it was triggering for liberals

lmao I dont care what anyone says I believe this was due to a few people suicide reporting bombing is profile.

Fake news

“Nine men in ten are would-be suicides.” - Benjamin Franklin SuicidePrevention

Why

Shall we post it on bios where possible?

Does anyone have any actual metrics as to whom this helped? Moreover, hasn't this also been used to harass people?

elonmusk more lies starting with 'Twitter removes...' always trying impose your false narrative and the new target is Elon. How about starting with 'Twitter working to update and improve...' Trump was really right about one thing you people are sick.

Is he just leaning into the villain bit? What benefit does he see from this?

Why!?!

They don't care about people. I wonder if he thinks this will balance out the GOP people who died from covid?

Really elonmusk ?

Maybe it needs revamping due to the amt of times a user may see it? Maybe the amt of times it's seen pushes the thought of suicide more & probably a concern that's been brought to the attention of the Twitter team?

How do people still like this Musk man when he keeps pulling stunts like this?

1-800-273-8255

What. The fuck

WeEntered elonmusk what in God's name is your justification for removing this invaluable resource? Please reinstate this ASAP!

Even if the feature comes back next week, it is going to be gone over the holidays which is an especially stressful time for some people. This was a reckless decision.

If u did not get the info directly from the horses mouth, don't spread rumors. Who are the 2 people? Probably disgruntled employees or fired employees. Shame on you Reuters.

Malevolent AF

BiblioraptorPhD Disabling a life saving feature while revamping it? What kind of rational development process is that?

elonmusk 😟😟

End the stigma of mental illness. For years I was in denial that I had mental illness. Plus, I bought into the myth that depression was a weakness I was not a bad person trying to be good, I was a sick person trying to get well. ⚠️Dial 988 if you have a mentalhealth emergency

What is wrong with Elonia

This will be wildly ironic some glorious & hilarious day

I hope you guys get sued to hell for all the fake news you’ve published about Elon Musk and his companies.

Alex Goldenberg, who ran a study showing that monthly mentions of some terms related to self-harm have increased by over 500% from 2021, said this decision 'runs counter [to] Musk's previous commitments to prioritize child safety'.

It took me 5 seconds to find this. Are you guys not doing your homework?

“It’s elimination could add to concerns about the well-being of vulnerable users on Twitter.” Interesting to know the motive.

He's a horrible human being. If you're his fanboy, chances are you are too.

Succumbed to leftist?

abrokenlull This guy is cartoonishly evil.

Elon hates the ppl on his platform so much that he wants them to commit suicide lmao

Who were the two people familiar with the matter? Jack and Daniels? You total loser!!

Why would someone do this?

“according to people familiar with the matter” … WTF … standards of journalism are woeful these days

Sicko!

FFAS!!!!

elonmusk Twitter

This is disgusting

Yes Reuters...we know every negative story you can do on Musk you will do. When will you start reporting on the state working to censor scandals to help the Biden campaign, the stuff that was revealed in Twitergame?

Did you bother to get more information before you printed this? There might be a valid reason. 'Twitter and Musk did not reply'. And I'm sure you really made an effort to get a comment. hax elonmusk

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Elon Musk orders removal of Twitter suicide prevention feature, sources sayThe removal of the feature, known as ThereIsHelp, has not been previously reported. It had shown at the top of specific searches contacts for support organizations in many countries related to men… Waiting on Elon's response to say yeah, This is false It was probably some diversity/equity crap that prioritized certain races over others I don’t believe “sources”. Twitters existence has proven to be a suicide causation feature though.
Source: nypost - 🏆 91. / 67 Read more »