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Elon Musk in front of the Twitter logo: How many employees are still moderating the network?
Photo: DADO RUVIC / REUTERS
According to Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of Trust and Safety, the social network hasn't gotten any safer under new owner Elon Musk.
Shortly after Musk took over the social media platform, Roth tweeted that security had improved in some areas under the Tesla founder.
In a panel discussion at the "Informed" conference in Florida on Tuesday, when asked whether he still thought so, Roth answered with a resounding "no".
The company no longer has enough staff to ensure security on the platform.
Involved in the Trump ban
Roth is a Twitter veteran.
In a recent op-ed for The New York Times, he explained that his team was responsible for not only developing Twitter's usage rules, but also the methods for enforcing them.
As part of this work, his team not only uncovered government-sponsored troll farms, but also supported the decision to ban ex-President Donald Trump from Twitter.
Roth's departure from Twitter has helped unnerve some businesses that have long advertised on the platform.
Some firms had pulled out of Twitter or reduced their jobs after Musk laid off half of its employees, including many involved in content moderation.
»No need for my role«
Before Musk took the helm at Twitter, Roth said there were about 2,200 content moderators around the world.
He said he didn't know the number after the takeover because the company's employee register was shut down.
As a reason for his departure from Twitter, Roth cited the fact that the company had deviated from its self-defined guidelines since its acquisition by Musk.
Instead, decisions made by the billionaire alone would now be enforced.
Speaking at the Florida panel, Roth said, "One of my limitations was pushed when Twitter started being run by dictatorial edicts rather than policies... There was no longer a need for my role and me to do what I do «.
mak/Reuters
