Twitter removes autocomplete function after it suggested shocking videos of cats and dogs being tortured and mass shootings

• Twitter has removed the autocomplete function in its search bar following complaints.
• Users highlighted that it had started to suggest graphic videos of animal abuse and mass shootings. 
• An expert told the BBC that Twitter’s content moderation issues come down to job cuts.

Twitter has removed the autocomplete function in its search bar after users flagged that it had started to recommend horrifying videos of animal abuse and mass shootings. 

NBC News’ Ben Collins wrote on Twitter that searching “cat” on the site led to suggestions of “cat in a blender,” while a search for the word “dog” prompted “dog stabbed by screwdriver.”

—Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 12, 2023

Videos of the recent mall shooting in Allen, Texas, which went viral on Twitter, were also visible at the top of the company’s search results, according to the BBC.

Amarnath Amarasingam, an extremism expert at Queen’s University in Toronto, told the BBC that the rise in “shocking” and “gory” content on the social-media site could be attributed to the company’s job cuts.

Amarasingam suggested that the company no longer had the required staff to remove content or warn users about graphic content.

This is not the first time Twitter has come under fire for its content moderation.

The use of the N-word on the site jumped by almost 500% in the 12 hours after Musk’s takeover was finalized, Insider’s Joshua Zitser and Sam Tabahriti previously reported. 

Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.