Twitter didn't remove suicide prevention tool, it is fake news: Elon Musk

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has denied that the micro-blogging platform removed suicide prevention feature for its users, said the reports were "fake".

Media reports earlier claimed that Twitter removed a feature that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources.

"False, it is still there," the new Twitter owner said in a tweet.

The reports, quoting Twitter executives, claimed the feature was removed and was being revamped.

Replying to a user, Musk said: "Twitter doesn't prevent suicide".

"The message is actually still up. This is fake news," he added.

The disappearance of the #ThereIsHelp banner, even if it was only momentary, led to criticism of Twitter from some consumer safety advocates, report Engadget.

A Twitter user said: "Mental health support and crisis prevention tools to help integrate with social platforms is incredibly important. Tumblr for example has been doing a great job now".

"Fake News and its publishers should also be blocked on Twitter for a certain period of time," another Musk follower posted.

The #ThereIsHelp banner pointed users to suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources when searching for certain content on Twitter.

--IANS

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