• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, March 12, 2015

Twitter this week took further steps to make users feel safe and secure. Per the changes, the social giant now prohibits the posting of “revenge porn” and “excessively violent media” on its platform.

“You may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject’s consent,” Twitter states in its rules section.

The changes are part of a broader effort by Twitter to clean up its act. Last month, the social network began streamlining the process of reporting various content issues, including impersonation, self-harm and the sharing of private and confidential information.

Acknowledging Twitter’s shortcoming, CEO Dick Costolo recently sided with critics who accuse the company of failing to curb untoward behavior.

“We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls,” Costolo recently admitted in an internal memo. “I’m frankly ashamed of how poorly we’ve dealt with this issue during my tenure as CEO. It’s absurd.”

In its defense, the microblogging leader has endeavored to make its platform a safer, friendlier place for users. Late last year, Twitter added improvements to its in-product harassment reporting and “block” features. It also set out to improve the reporting process for those users who observe abuse, but aren’t receiving it directly.

To achieve faster response times, Twitter also recently made some back-end improvements to the tools and processes that are designed to review reported Tweets and accounts.

To promote a more positive discourse, Twitter recently helped Dove target nasty comments directed at celebrities on Oscar night. Based on keywords and other tracking analysis, Twitter worked the Unilever brand to identify negative tweets before and during the awards show.

After the malicious tweets were posted, Dove’s team tweeted non-automated responses, including “constructive and accessible advice” to encourage more positive online language and habits.

The #SpeakBeautiful initiative built on Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, which has been challenging popular perceptions of feminine appeal for more than 10 years.