Twitter has started working with Women, Action and the Media (WAM) in a bid to fight against gendered harassment or abuse on the social networking and micro-blogging website. With this end in mind, a reporting tool has been rolled out for victims of any form of online abuse on Twitter.
We know you’re saying that the website already has a system in place to deal with all sorts of harassment perpetuated against or by its users. But the WAM form is expected to help expedite the process of getting complaints in front of the proper Twitter authorities. Here’s the official link to the reporting tool, in case you need to file a report.
But WAM does highlight the fact that in the end, it’s up to Twitter to decide what needs to be done about complaints received through the aforesaid form. At the same time, it promises to help lend a louder voice to women users being heckled by others on the site. Of course, there’s no proper way to keep trolls and those who’ve been banned, from getting back onto the social network since they can simply make another account under a new identity and become a member once again.
Also see: Twitter apologizes shiftily for suspending user accounts
The project does not stop at assisting victims of gendered harassment on Twitter. It also accepts forms filled out by those subjected to other kinds of abuse including racist slurs. If Twitter has been ignoring your complaints, filling up the form by WAM might be of assistance. You can even submit a report on behalf of someone else who cannot or may be reluctant to do so. Any issue from hate speech to threats made by abusers to impersonation, can be raised through this tool.
WAM promises not to share personal information offered by victims of harassment with any entity but Twitter.