Last week, when actress Rose McGowan’s Twitter account was suspended, a boycott of the social media platform was called. Thousands people refrained from using Twitter for one day in protest of her suspension. But the boycott, which was backed by prominent celebrities, was criticized by some for being self selective in its outrage: where was the boycott for the countless women of color who were harassed? In any case, Twitter seemingly took the criticism to heart and responded by announcing changes to its terms of service. These changes include new policies to prevent “hate symbols and imagery, violent groups, and tweets that glorify violence.” Twitter plans on rolling out these changes gradually over the next few months and has released a calendar on when people can expect them. On the surface, new policies may seem like a good idea, but in reality, they might make the situation worse.
