Twitter Just Explained Why The Term "Bisexual" Was Blocked From Search Results
The social media company claimed that an outdated list of terms associated with adult content inadvertently blocked the word "bisexual."
Over the weekend, Twitter users began noticing that the platform didn't show any search results under photos, videos, and news if they searched for the term "bisexual."
People were pissed, accusing Twitter of censorship and of being hypocritical for still allowing other offensive search terms associated with Nazis and racism on its platform.
Filters erasing #bisexual content? Hey @Twitter, that sounds like discrimination based on sexual orientation. Also dangerous and cruel.
#bisexual on twitter has been censored yet this is still allowed @Twitter Right. Got it.
On Sunday night, Twitter apologized for the error and said it was working to fix it.
We’ve identified an error with search results for certain terms. We apologize for this. We’re working quickly to resolve & will update soon.
Now the company says that it has finally figured out the reason it messed up: an outdated list of terms typically associated with adult content.
4 / Our implementation of this list in search allowed Tweets to be categorized based solely on text, w/out taking o… https://t.co/7KVB0QedZn
Twitter said that the problem should be fixed in 24 hours.
6 / We have audited the list and removed terms that should not have been included. We are making changes during the… https://t.co/Hz0yymnS4U
The social network recently updated its rules around abuse and harassment on the platform but confirmed to BuzzFeed News that this incident had nothing to do with that announcement.
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Pranav Dixit is a tech reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Delhi.
Contact Pranav Dixit at pranav.dixit@buzzfeed.com.
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