#SaferInternetDay 2021: Together for a better Internet

Just as Safer Internet Day has grown from being a European event in 2004 to being celebrated globally 17 years later, Twitter has also grown and has continued to make the safety of those on the service a priority, with each year that passes. Today we  join safety partners from over 140 countries to mark #SaferInternetDay2021 and play our part in creating a safer internet for all.

To celebrate the global conversation around Internet safety, we launched a special emoji that’s activated by using the hashtags #SaferInternetDay and #SID2021. The emoji helps to unify and strengthen the conversation on Twitter, around Safer Internet Day. 

The theme for Safer Internet Day 2021 (@safeinternetday), ‘Together for a better Internet’ –  speaks to a set of beliefs we share as an online service: that the Internet can always be better, that it remains a force for good, and that it’s all of our jobs to make it safe and healthy. We all contribute, we all have our part to play.

The safety of Twitter and the health of the public conversation is one of our highest priorities. In the last year, we have made strides in tackling abusive content on our service globally and have seen a 105% increase in accounts actioned by Twitter (locked or suspended for violating the Twitter Rules). 

There will always be more to do, but we have made meaningful progress. 

COVID-19: Staying safe and informed on Twitter

As the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic, people turned to Twitter to discuss what was happening and find the latest authoritative public health information.

• In March 2020, we launched a COVID-19 misleading information policy to protect the health of the public conversation.Since then, our teams have removed 8,493 Tweets and our automated systems have challenged 11.5 million accounts which were targeting discussions around COVID-19 with spammy or manipulative behaviors.
• In order to bring awareness to gender-based violence as cases surged during the so-called “shadow pandemic”, Twitter has supported nonprofit partners globally by providing Ads for Good grants. 
• In September 2020, around World Suicide Prevention Day, we worked with the International Association for Suicide Prevention to amplify #SuicidePrevention resources with over 20 NGOs globally.
• In December 2020, we expanded the COVID-19 misleading information policy to address Tweets that contain potentially harmful misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines.

#ThereIsHelp

• Twitter partners with authorities and nonprofit organizations around the world on our #ThereIsHelp notification service. This service provides resources to vulnerable people and encourages them to reach out and get support when people search certain terms on Twitter. 
• This year we expanded the prompts to several new markets in consultation with global and local partners to ensure that we are sharing the latest and most helpful resources in our #ThereisHelp prompts across the globe. We expanded this service to provide information on gender-based violence in 24 markets and on suicide or self harm in 30 markets.  

Expaning our policies 

• Throughout 2020, we updated our rules against Hateful Conduct, to prohibit language that dehumanizes people on the basis of age, disability, disease, race, ethnicity, national origin as well as to include abusive language promoting “conversion therapy” targeting individuals or the entire LGBTQ+ community. 
• We expanded our policies to further protect the civic conversation: Twitter’s goal is to further protect against content that could suppress the vote and help stop the spread of harmful misinformation that could compromise the integrity of an election or other civic process.

The work we do in order to make Twitter safer, must be done in collaboration with our safety partners around the world -  that’s why taking part in #SaferInternetDay2021 is key for us. Across the world today and throughout February, we will work with and support our network of safety partners to amplify their guidance, provide Ads for Good grants to elevate their voices and support their campaigns, and collaborate together on helping shape a better Internet. Across 4 continents, we will run safety training, deliver presentations and participate in events to commemorate the day.

In Europe, we will be participating in the Safer Internet Day event organised by the European Commission with Better Internet for Kids Youth Ambassadors, and on February 24th we’ll be running a Youth Summit event to promote a safer internet for all citizens, especially young people, as well as to to empower young people to talk about topics that matter to them.

Also in Europe, we have partnered with Maldita.es, an independent and non-profit organization focused on fact-checking techniques, on a week-long course on Twitter, specifically designed to educate young people on becoming critical thinkers and identifying misinformation. The course will be available in English through @maldita_es and will be localized in Spain through their @MalditaEduca. It will also be localized in Germany through @correctiv_org within the next weeks. We provided Ads for good for all partners.

In the UK, Safer Internet Day 2021 will be celebrated with the theme, “An Internet we trust: exploring reliability in the online world”. The Internet has an amazing range of information and opportunities online. This year, in the UK, Safer Internet Day aims to explore how we can separate fact from fiction when online. We have provided Ads for Good to the UK Safer Internet Centre, which is made up of organisations including Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and South West Grid for Learning, in order to help support their work toward a better internet for all.

In Spain, we have partnered with and provided Ads For Good to PantallasAmigas on the joint campaign with Fundación Mapfre to educate young people on Internet Safety. We will also be participating in the Safer Internet Day event organized by INCIBE, specifically in the session “Favoring safe and positive digital experiences”. 

In MENA, we’ll be running an online safety workshop with the UAE TRA Virtual Academy. This partnership is an opportunity to educate the audience on multiple elements of online and Internet safety, ranging from digital footprint controls to media information literacy and security best practices. We also aim to create an open dialogue to discuss the Twitter Rules and provide feedback on our global efforts to create a safer Internet for everyone.

In the United States, we’ve issued #AdsForGood grants to partners across the country to help people thrive in a digital world. Through these investments, we will amplify conversations to educate families, schools, and young people to support their online safety, privacy, and security.

In Spanish Speaking LatAm, @TwitterLatam will hold a virtual Twitter for Nonprofits workshop focused on Safety and Security. In this training we will discuss the Twitter Rules and enforcement, reporting channels, tools that people have to control their experience on Twitter, and account security best practices.

In Thailand, we will host a virtual panel discussion on Twitter to raise awareness on internet safety and promote media literacy with our NGO partners @HugProjectTH, @EcpatFoundation, and @saidek1387 (Childline Thailand). We provided #AdsForGood for all partners. The session will be moderated by Hug Project. People can Tweet their questions with hashtag #วันการใช้อินเทอร์เน็ตที่ปลอดภัยขึ้น.

In the Philippines, we will host a virtual panel discussion on Twitter together with support on #AdsForGood during #SaferInternetDay to promote safer Internet and better collaboration with @planphilippines, @ECPATPh, @PCWgovph and @unicefphils. The discussion will be moderated by Plan International Philippines and there will be a Q&A session. People can Tweet their questions using hashtag #SID2021.

In Singapore, together with the Singapore Media Literacy Council (@MLCSingapore) we will host a conversation on Twitter to discuss the community's role in promoting a safer Internet, and shared digital literacy resources to help keep people safe online. We also conducted a virtual safety workshop for Roses of Peace and its youth ambassadors to talk about safety and security tips for young people. 

We are encouraging conversations with a special emoji for the hashtags #SaferInternetDay and #SID2021, available in eighteen languages to encourage conversations around a safer Internet.

Throughout 2021, we will continue to support our safety partners, and work to ensure the public conversation on Twitter stays healthy, open and safe.  

Check out our continuing updates to promote a safer Twitter at @TwitterSafety and @TwitterSeguro.