Testing new feature which would automatically blocks hateful messages, announces Twitter
Twitter stated in a statement that the platform is devoted to hosting "healthy conversations" and that it wants to do more to alleviate the strain on individuals coping with unwanted interactions.
FollowTwitter revealed on Wednesday that it is testing a new tool that automatically bans abusive posts, as the US social media platform faces increased pressure to safeguard its users from online abuse. When using the new Safety Mode, users' "mentions" will be displayed. For seven days, they are screened so that they do not view communications that have been reported as potentially containing hate speech or insults.
According to Twitter, the functionality will be tested first by a small number of English-speaking users, emphasising "marginalised populations and female journalists who are frequently the focus of abuse". Twitter stated in a statement that the platform is devoted to hosting "healthy conversations" and that it wants to do more to alleviate the strain on individuals coping with unwanted interactions.
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Like other social media companies, Twitter enables users to report offensive postings, such as racist, homophobic, and sexist statements. However, activists have long argued that flaws in Twitter's rules allow violent and racist remarks to remain online in many situations.
Six anti-discrimination organisations are suing the platform in France, accusing it of "long-term and chronic" failures to remove abusive remarks. Safety Mode is the most recent addition to a series of features designed to offer Twitter users more control over who may connect with them. Previous steps included the ability to restrict who can respond to a tweet.
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Twitter claimed that the new feature was still in development and that it was afraid that it might accidentally block tweets that were not objectionable. Last month, Instagram announced new capabilities to combat abusive and racist material in response to a wave of nasty remarks thrown towards athletes following the Euro tournament.
