Meanwhile, I have scrolled through the overly graphic adult content on Twitter, which doesn’t prohibit the description of “body fluids” as long as the user flags it as sensitive media. While Twitter prohibits “violent sexual behavior,” this policy seems to apply only to rape and sexual assault, not consensual violence, as in BDSM.
Twitter does not restrict adult content because it has no guidelines for adult content. At all. At the time of this writing, there are no adult content restriction policy on Twitter as long as it is consentably produced, appropriately flagged as sensitive, and not included in more publicly visible areas such as profile pictures or header photos. (I’m not including CSEM as “adult content” because it’s not adult by definition.)
Historically, although Twitter has never been hostile to sex workers, such as, Meta, it maintains what a Twitter employee told me is a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for us. And even though it lacks content policyTwitter algorithmically blocks adult content, intentionally or not.
In fact, not even Twitter knows how its algorithms are applied, as is the case with most machine learning algorithms used by social media and search engines. Machine learning algorithms refine themselves based on user activity without interference, systematizing those users’ biases. This leads to what is known as algorithmic bias, in this case, even if unintentionally, with the greatest impact on sex workers. Ready, sex workers and activists are more likely to be algorithmically flagged by Twitter for a ban, a practice in which certain users or content is artificially blocked. In addition, and similar to Instagram’s algorithms flags nudity with toned pixels, Twitter algorithmically identifies adult content that has not been marked as “sensitive” and restricts it.
In that context, Musk’s plan to monetize adult content makes theoretical sense from both a business and social standpoint. From a business standpoint, it will bring in more revenue for Twitter. From a social point of view, it could prevent algorithmic censorship of sex workers and, in theory, drive prostitution. Fears that ACM will somehow turn Twitter into “a pornographic site” or worse, “a child pornography site” are unfounded. If anything, properly monetizing adult content could dramatically reduce the amount of CSEM on Twitter by putting in more protections to detect it before it’s posted.
In reality, though, Musk will either have to commit to more content moderation to ensure that CSEM isn’t on the site — which is causing tension with his championing of “free speech” — or double down on the importance of expression with minimal censorship, thus opening holes for terrible content if not kept in the shadows of the dark web and private Facebook groups.
If Twitter scrolls beyond ACM, it will likely face a choice: require all Twitter users to provide age verification to prevent posting or access to CSEM, or ban non-monetized adult content entirely. from its subscription service. Either way, algorithmic monitoring of all of Visual media will necessarily enhance.
