• X, owned by Musk, hiring 100 in Austin to combat child abuse.
• Responding to online child exploitation before Senate hearing.
• Surge in account suspensions; new Austin center targets harmful content.

In a proactive move to address the rising concerns surrounding online child sexual exploitation, social media company X, owned by tech magnate Elon Musk, has announced plans to establish a new “Trust and Safety Center of Excellence” in Austin, Texas. The center aims to hire 100 content moderators by the end of the year, with a primary focus on combating child abuse content.

The announcement comes ahead of a pivotal U.S. Senate hearing scheduled for January 31, where X Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino is set to testify alongside the CEOs of major platforms such as Meta Platforms, Snap, TikTok, and Discord.

According to Joe Benarroch, X’s Head of Business Operations, the team for the Austin office is currently in the process of being built. The ambitious goal of filling the 100 positions by year-end hinges on finding the right talent to contribute to the Trust and Safety center’s mission.

Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company (formerly Twitter) in 2022, he has faced criticism for both his controversial posts and attempts to overhaul the platform’s content moderation policies.

In a blog post released on Friday, X disclosed that it had suspended a significant 12.4 million accounts in the past year for violating its rules against child sexual exploitation. This marks a substantial increase from the 2.3 million account suspensions reported in 2022. The company emphasized that the new Austin center would not only focus on combating child abuse content but also contribute to efforts against other forms of harmful content.

As X endeavors to bolster its content moderation capabilities, this initiative underscores the company’s commitment to creating a safer online environment and actively addressing the challenges posed by the proliferation of illicit content, especially concerning child exploitation. The developments are closely watched as the tech industry collectively grapples with the responsibility of ensuring user safety and ethical online conduct.

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