Getty Sophia Bush at the 2018 Netflix Primetime Emmys After Party.
On Wednesday night, Sophia Bush took to Twitter to criticize the social media platform for the way in which they handle anonymous harassers. The Chicago P.D. actress, who has been the victim of online harassment on Twitter in the past, lamented about a flaw in Twitter’s user registration: “You know what’s fun? When someone who is credibly (+ potentially violently) obsessed w you, KEEPS GETTING TO MAKE NEW @Twitter ACCOUNTS FROM WHICH TO HARASS YOU.”
According to Twitter’s “Help” section accounts can be suspended for spam, suspected account security, or “abusive tweets or behavior.” The site claims that “When an account engages in abusive behavior, like sending threats to others or impersonating other accounts, we may suspend it temporarily or, in some cases, permanently.”
You know what’s fun? When someone who is credibly (+ potentially violently) obsessed w you, KEEPS GETTING TO MAKE NEW @Twitter ACCOUNTS FROM WHICH TO HARASS YOU.
@TwitterSupport knows. And does nothing. We have access to ALL the data. Why don’t you block harassers PERMANENTLY!?
In her tweet, she points out that Twitter, upon registering a user for an account, has all the information she believes they need in order to prevent a “potentially violent” blocked person from re-joining Twitter through a different username and email. Her tweet suggests that she wants Twitter to protect their users by blocking whole people when they are proven harassers, not just their account names and specific emails.
After tweeting her accusation to both the @Twitter and @TwitterSupport accounts, another twitter user, @jorgeRibs, suggested that Twitter was not to blame. He pointed out that “Twitter can only do so much to prevent that. There are many many ways to circumvent IP address blocks.” Sophia tweeted a response to his statement, saying that Twitter “MUST do better to protect us.” She took the opportunity in that tweet to express that she believes that while “white supremacist” users are verified on the platform, Twitter “silence[s] victims.”
The dialogue continued between the two, and @jorgeRibs argues that she is talking about two different subjects: “creating multiple accounts” and “censorship of existing ones.” Bush refutes this, suggesting that in his defense of the technology behind Twitter, he “shouldn’t be flippant about the targeted and violent harassment of women, nor write off that our experiences should result in hard policy change.”
@jorgeRibs @mehdirhasan @Twitter @TwitterSupport I’m not conflating the two. I’m saying you shouldn’t be flippant about the targeted and violent harassment of women, nor write off that our experiences should result in hard policy change, because you like the “good people of Twitter.”
This is not the first time Bush spoke out against harassers. In 2014, Business Insider reported that Sophia Bush used her social media to expose an online stalker who was impersonating her on Twitter. In an open letter response, she wrote: “To any of you who’ve been targeted by @SophhiaBush, I’m so sorry. I’m sure he/she will be blocked again soon, only to create another account. We’re close to 20 now. And law enforcement says “we’re on it,” and “don’t acknowledge this person,” but when this person, this vitriolic perverse monster is targeting all of you?… Nope. No silence.” In 2016, she wrote another open letter, that time to a man who wouldn’t leave her alone on a flight.
As of late Wednesday night, neither @Twitter or @TwitterSupport has responded to Bush’s criticisms within the public platform.