Trolls are having a field day on Twitter, report suggests. Why is it happening?

Twitter witnessed an upheaval in the staffing soon after Elon Musk took hold of the company's reins. Now the mass layoffs have affected a crucial aspect of Twitter, that of fighting trolls. Twitter insiders told BBC that the platform can no longer protect users from trolls and hate is thriving on it. Disinformation and child sexual exploitation are also rearing their head in the absence of enough staff to handle the features aimed at protecting users from trolling and harassment.

Data also suggests that trolls now feel emboldened to harass people and there has also been an increase in accounts following misogynistic and abusive profiles.

BBC Panorama reports that the features that are supposed to keep the trolls in control, along with keeping a check on harassment and hate speech, are getting difficult to handle. The working environment at the company is also getting chaotic. Musk reportedly roams about the company with bodyguards in tow, making the staff uncomfortable.

A former Twitter employee told the publication that everyone who created safety measures such as nudge buttons, was sacked, and she later resigned as well. Internal data suggests that the measures put in place to control trolls had reduced trolling by as much as 60 per cent. However, since now there is no one to handle these aspects, it is getting pretty chaotic, the former Twitter employee says.

After a string of firings in the last few months, the headcount at Twitter has come down to under 2,000 employees. Ever since Musk took over Twitter in October for $44 billion, the company seems to be under financial distress. Musk has already said that the firm was facing "a massive drop in revenue" as advertisers dropped out.

Soon after taking over, Musk fired about 50 per cent of the staff as a cost-cutting measure. He also implemented a number of product and organisational changes. The Twitter-verified Blue check-mark was rolled out as a paid service, one of the biggest and most controversial changes at the company. Twitter even stopped paying rent and asked several employees to work from home.

(With inputs from agencies)

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