Many Twitter users are careful when commenting so as not to be attacked by other netizens. Fortunately, Twitter has a special system in place to protect users who are bullied.
According to a Bloomberg report, Twitter has a system called Project Guardian. This system is an internal list containing thousands of accounts that are at risk of being attacked by other users, including musicians, professional athletes, journalists and other users, as quoted from The Verge, Saturday (11/12/2021).
If Twitter receives a report of a harassing post related to an account on the list, Twitter's content moderation team will respond to the report faster than any other report that comes in.
The reason is that Twitter can prevent the spread of harmful content while keeping users comfortable and not talking about the bullying they are facing.
Twitter's Head of Site Integrity Yael Roth said users from various backgrounds were included in the Project Guardian list, and not all of them were well-known figures. Regular users who go viral because of drama or controversy on Twitter are also included, but only temporarily.
Once that user is no longer a target, they will be removed from Project Guardian, but some will be added to the list permanently.
Ordinary users can be logged into the system if Twitter employees notice that the user has received a blasphemous message, even if they don't know it. On the other hand, more popular users can ask their manager to contact Twitter for extra protection.
According to Bloomberg, some of the most famous users who have been on Project Guardian include makeup artist James Charles, Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim, and former US FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Twitter also uses this system to protect journalists covering controversial topics, such as the riots at the US Capitol or 8chan.
Bloomberg also found that Twitter has several factors to prioritize responses to user reports. Factors in question include impressions of tweets, how many followers a user has, and whether the reported tweets are actually harmful.
Project Guardian not only protects users, but is also considered to be able to improve Twitter's image. It's not known when the program was created, but Bloomberg said it's likely to have been around for two years or more.
