X Corp., the owner of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the company had slashed its global trust and safety staff by 30% since billionaire Elon Musk took over in 2022. This includes an alarming 80% reduction in the number of safety engineers, according to Australia's online safety watchdog, the eSafety Commission.

The commission, which prides itself as the world's first government agency dedicated to keeping people safer online, released summaries of answers provided by X regarding its policies on hateful conduct enforcement. These answers, the commission stated, were the first specific figures on staff reductions made by X to be made public.

From the day before Musk took control of Twitter on October 28, 2022, until May 31, 2023, the trust and safety staff globally had been reduced from 4,062 to 2,849 employees and contractors, a reduction of 30%. In the Asia-Pacific region, the reduction was even more significant, with a staggering 45% decrease. The number of engineers focused on trust and safety issues had plummeted from 279 to 55 globally, marking an 80% fall. Additionally, the number of full-time employee content moderators had been reduced by 52% from 107 to 51, while contract content moderators had fallen by 12% from 2,613 to 2,305.

In a startling revelation, X also admitted to reinstating 6,100 previously banned accounts, including 194 that had been suspended for hateful conduct. The commission confirmed that these accounts were Australian. While X did not provide global figures, it was reported in November 2022 that 62,000 suspended accounts had been reinstated, despite previously breaching X's rules. The commission expressed concern that these accounts were not subjected to any additional scrutiny upon reinstatement.

The commission's report highlighted that X's responses to user reports of hateful content had significantly slowed since Musk's takeover. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant expressed grave concerns about the combination of reduced safety staff and the return of banned account holders, stating that it created a "perfect safety storm." Inman Grant warned that this could lead to a more toxic and unsafe environment for users. She emphasized that failure to maintain user safety standards could harm X's brand reputation and advertising revenue, as advertisers prefer platforms that are perceived as safe and non-toxic. Users, too, would likely abandon a platform that feels unsafe.

Despite requests for comment, X did not immediately respond. The company's policy on hateful conduct explicitly prohibits direct attacks based on various factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and disability. However, X had missed several deadlines before providing the commission with the requested information, which was initially requested in June of the previous year. The commission decided not to fine X for the delay, although the company had already been fined 610,500 Australian dollars ($385,000) in September for failing to fully explain its efforts to combat child sexual exploitation content. X has refused to pay the fine and is currently challenging it in the Australian Federal Court.