Twitter is introducing a new appeals process for suspended accounts, which allows users to re-evaluate Twitter’s decision to suspend them. The new feature is part of the social media platform’s ongoing efforts to increase transparency about how it enforces its rules.
Appeals can be submitted directly inside the Twitter app, according to a tweet thread posted by Twitter Safety on Wednesday. Previously, users could appeal in a separate web-based form that took longer to process. The company says it’s aiming to make this more convenient for users.
Starting on February 1st, Twitter will begin allowing anyone to appeal suspensions for evaluations based on a new set of criteria. It’ll only suspend accounts that engage in “severe or ongoing, repeat violations of our policies.”
But instead of immediately banning a user, Twitter is promising to take more nuanced actions, such as limiting the reach of policy-violating tweets or asking them to remove content before they can get back on the site. It’s also saying that it’ll be more transparent about its enforcement action decisions, and will roll out unspecified new features next month to help with that.
This is a big shift from Twitter’s previous tactics, which mostly involved bans and suspensions that were more like slaps on the wrist than significant punishment. CEO Elon Musk promised last year to provide transparency about how the company determines whether or not a account is in violation of its policies, and this is the next step toward making that goal a reality.
Those who have previously been banned or suspended can now submit an appeal through the Twitter website, according to a tweet from Twitter’s safety team on Wednesday. After you submit your request, it will be evaluated by Twitter’s safety team and a reviewer from the company will contact you about your appeal.
If your appeal is successful, you’ll be given a notification about the decision, including the reason it was made. You can ask Twitter for additional information to help with the re-evaluation, and if you want, you can upload identification that shows you are the account owner.
It’s also important to note that if you don’t provide Twitter with the correct email address or phone number, it won’t be able to contact you about the appeal. That can leave you vulnerable to identity theft if someone else gains access to your Twitter account.
Twitter has long faced criticism for not explaining why it decides to take action against certain accounts. But the company is now offering to publish case studies that explain its reasoning behind each decision. That, along with its recent reversals of previous policy changes, are likely to appease a lot of users who have been frustrated by the social media platform’s strict enforcement.