Twitter has issued new guidelines to combat abuse and harassment after it was criticised for failing to stop the Islamic State (ISIS) from using the platform to advance its propaganda and recruit people to its fold.

A census by the Brookings Institute in March 2015 revealed that ISIS had at least 46,000 Twitter accounts from September to December 2014, according to Raw Story.

"We believe that protection from abuse and harassment is a vital part of empowering people to freely express themselves on Twitter," the company said on a blog post on Dec. 30.

It said, "Twitter will not tolerate behaviour intended to harass, intimidate, or use fear to silence another user's voice. As always, we embrace and encourage diverse opinions and beliefs – but we will continue to take action on accounts that cross the line into abuse."

Twitter said it will "not tolerate behaviour that crosses the line into abuse, including behaviour that harasses, intimidates, or uses fear to silence another user's voice."

Accounts found to be engaging in activities under the new guidelines will be temporarily locked or subjected to permanent suspension.

Under the new rules that likely target ISIS-related accounts, the company said one "may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism."

J.M. Berger, co-author of the study, said the new rule is "much clearer and takes some of the guesswork out of determining if a Tweet violates the rules."

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Digital Terrorism and Hate Project at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, said he is positive that "terrorists and hate groups will leave" if Twitter enforces the new rules.

U.S. Congress members proposed a measure last month to require social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to notify federal authorities of any detected "terrorist activity."

The new Twitter rules also prohibit "hateful conduct."

"You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease. We also do not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories," the rule says.

It also targets harassment, saying that "you may not incite or engage in the targeted abuse or harassment of others" if the purpose of the reported account is to harass or send abusive messages to others, among others.