X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has been found to contribute significantly to the spread of targeted hate against LGBTI people in Poland, according to a new Amnesty International report. The report, titled ‘A Thousand Cuts’: Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Against Poland’s LGBTI Community on X, provides the first analysis of the platform’s business model, highlighting how X’s inadequate content moderation and lack of human rights due diligence have enabled the spread of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TfGBV).
Amnesty International’s researcher Alia Al Ghussain explained that these failures, along with the removal of safeguards against harmful speech, have made X a breeding ground for TfGBV content. This environment has negatively impacted the rights of Poland’s LGBTI community, including their freedoms of expression and association, while also compromising their safety. The community faces various forms of abuse on the platform such as violent threats, online harassment, doxing, and targeted hate campaigns, forcing some users to leave due to fear of exposure or social ostracization.
In partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship’s Algorithmic Transparency Institute, researchers created 32 accounts that collected over 163,000 tweets in March 2025. Analysis revealed a high prevalence of homophobic and transphobic content, particularly on accounts following politicians opposed to LGBT rights. X’s recommendation algorithm, designed to maximize user engagement, often amplifies such harmful content, perpetuating cycles of abuse. Amnesty’s analysis also exposed the invasive surveillance-based business model of X, which relies on extensive data collection for targeted advertising, exacerbating the risks faced by the LGBTI community.
Individual stories highlight the real human impact of this toxic environment. Aleksandra Herzyk, an artist from Krakow, shared how harassment and false assumptions about her gender identity drove her off the platform, describing the experience as “death by a thousand cuts.” Another activist, Magda Dropek, continues to use X despite facing intense waves of anti-LGBTI comments aimed at silencing her voice. Maja Heban, a trans woman in Warsaw, described the unchecked hateful speech, where users freely compare LGBTI individuals to animals or criminals.
A major factor behind this problem is X’s chronic underinvestment in Polish language content moderation. The platform reportedly employs only two Polish-speaking content moderators for a population of over 37 million, and 5.33 million users on X. This shortage, combined with poor policies and practices, has allowed hateful content to proliferate unchecked.
Amnesty International reached out to X for comments about its activities in Poland between 2019 and 2024 but received no response. Under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), very large online platforms like X are required to assess and mitigate systemic human rights risks. However, X’s 2024 risk assessment failed to address LGBTI-specific harms, and an independent audit found their mitigation measures to be ineffective and lacking necessary safeguards. Amnesty called for stronger enforcement of the DSA and expanded investigations into X’s handling of TfGBV risks.
The report concludes with a call for urgent reforms. X must stop contributing to human rights abuses against Poland’s LGBTI community by adequately resourcing Polish-language content moderation, revising its surveillance-based business model, and ensuring its platform is safe and respectful for all users. The European Commission is urged to intensify scrutiny to hold X accountable and protect vulnerable communities.
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