To combat child abuse content on its platform, social media company X, owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk, has announced plans to hire 100 content moderators for a new office in Austin, Texas.
As revealed by Joe Benarroch, X’s Head of Business Operations, the company aims to establish the “Trust and Safety Center of Excellence” and fill these crucial positions by the end of the year.
The decision comes ahead of a crucial U.S. Senate hearing scheduled for January 31, focusing on online child sexual exploitation.
X Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino is set to testify alongside the CEOs of other major platforms including Meta Platforms, Snap, TikTok, and Discord.
Joe Benarroch stated that “the team is currently being built,” emphasizing the ongoing efforts to assemble a dedicated moderation team in the Austin office, as the success of achieving the hiring goal by the end of the year is contingent on identifying and securing the right talent for the vital task of content moderation.
Elon Musk’s ownership of X since 2022 has attracted scrutiny; particularly concerning his controversial posts and his attempts to reform the platform’s content moderation policies.
In a blog post, X revealed that it suspended 12.4 million accounts in the previous year for violating its rules against child sexual exploitation, marking a significant increase from the 2.3 million account suspensions in 2022.
Beyond its primary focus on child abuse content, the new Austin center will also play a pivotal role in addressing various forms of harmful content, underlining the company’s commitment to fostering a safer online environment.