Elon Musk’s X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is under scrutiny as it reveals the termination of around 1,000 employees from its ‘safety’ team responsible for combatting online hate and abusive content. The revelations come amid a notable increase in “hateful and toxic” content on the platform, according to data released by Australia’s online watchdog, the eSafety Commission.
The eSafety Commission disclosed that these “deep cuts” in the safety team, combined with the reinstatement of thousands of banned accounts, have created what they describe as a “perfect storm” for the dissemination of harmful content. The regulatory body pointed out that this surge in “toxicity and hate” on the platform coincided with Elon Musk’s takeover of X in October 2022.
Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, a former Twitter employee, highlighted that this is the first time such figures have been made public, thanks to Australia’s groundbreaking Online Safety Act. The detailed breakdown of the current X staff includes software engineers and content moderators.
The data collected by the online safety regulator reveals that 1,213 specialist “trust and safety staff,” including contractors, have departed X since Musk’s acquisition.
One of the alarming findings is that 80% of the departed employees were software engineers focused on “trust and safety issues.” Commissioner Julie Inman expressed concerns, likening the situation to a car manufacturer eradicating its entire team of designers or engineers known for safety standards.
“You’ve got a perfect storm. You’re drastically decreasing your defenses, and you’re introducing repeat offenders back onto the platform,” Commissioner Julie Inman said.
It’s worth noting that the eSafety Commission had previously imposed a fine of Aus$610,500 (US$388,000) on X for its failure to demonstrate effective measures against child pornography. However, X surpassed the deadline to pay the fine and took legal action to overturn it.
