Twitter Admits to Erroneously Suspending Accounts Amid a Slew of 'Coordinated and Malicious' Reports

Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that neo-Nazis and other right-wing activists were teaching and encouraging their followers on ways to use Twitter's new "private information policy" to remove incriminating photos originally published to the platform by anti-extremism researchers and journalists.

Twitter announced on Friday that it had corrected a number of errors after it mistakenly suspended a handful of Twitter accounts under its new policy, which allows users to request the removal of an image or video that includes them and was tweeted without their consent.

Twitter spokesman Trenton Kennedy told The Washington Post that the platform received a flood of "coordinated and malicious reports" that targeted anti-extremism researchers and journalists.

An internal review has also been launched to ensure the new policy was used "as intended".

"We'll have more to share on the review later", Kennedy said.

According to Twitter, 12 suspensions occurred as the system was overwhelmed with a "significant amount" of reports.

It is unclear how many reports were filed.

The policy, announced on Tuesday, seeks to address concerns about the misuse of media and the dissemination of images that reveal the identities of non-consenting individuals.

Kennedy highlighted that the policy does not apply to public figures or those who are part of "public conversations and discourse online or offline".