Twitter responded to criticisms from an epilepsy support group by taking down its #DiscoverMusic flashing videos less than 24 hours after posting them.
The social network site launched the two Vine videos that featured six seconds of flashing ads on Thursday. They were part of Twitter's #DiscoverMusic campaign, which aims to push musicians to publishing their latest tracks on the social network. However, instead of drawing its target audience, the short videos called the attention of the Epilepsy Action charity support group.
"Twitter’s ads were dangerous to people living with photosensitive epilepsy," Simon Wigglesworth, Epilepsy Action’s deputy chief executive, told the BBC. “Eighty seven people are diagnosed with epilepsy every day and that first seizure can often come out of nowhere. For a huge corporation like Twitter to take that risk was irresponsible.”
About 3 percent of people with epilepsy have photosensitive epilepsy. Seizures are triggered by flashing lights or contrasting dark and light patterns such as televisions and computer screens with flickering or rolling images, videos with rapid flashes and certain visual patterns.
There is actually a way to prevent Twitter users from seeing flashing videos. Users can deactivate the autoplay feature within the app so that the videos would not play unless they are tapped, according to The Guardian.
Twitter and Vine did not immediately respond to requests for comments.