AppleInsider Staff
Twitter on Wednesday said it is trialing a new feature called "Safety Mode" that automatically blocks accounts sending harmful or unwanted tweets.
Announced in a post to the company's blog, "Safety Mode" temporarily blocks accounts determined to be using harmful language or sending repetitive and uninvited replies.
The system considers a tweet's content and the relationship between an author and replier to assess the "likelihood of a negative engagement." If the tweet or response is deemed to fall outside of Safety Mode's parameters, the account responsible for the post will be blocked for seven days.
It is unclear what data points are used to make a determination, but Twitter says existing relationships are considered and accounts that a user follows or frequently interacts with will not be autoblocked.
When blocked, accounts are unable to follow users, see their tweets or send direct messages. At the same time, users can peruse tweets flagged by Safety Mode and view information about blocked accounts at any time, Twitter says. Autoblocks can be viewed and reversed in Settings.
Twitter developed Safety Mode to promote "healthy conversations." The company conducted listening and feedback sessions with partners that have expertise in online safety, mental health and human rights.
Safety Mode is rolling out to a small group of users on iOS, Android and the web. Twitter plans to observe and improve the feature before taking it live for all users.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
Andrew O'Hara
William Gallagher
5 Comments
Eliminating SPAM and hate speech? What will be left?
Kidding aside, Twitter has to do something. I was on it and closed my account several years ago because it was a cesspool full of nasty people. I found no value in it. Occasionally I think about dipping a toe in again, but then there's another story of some outrageous exchange, or someone famous quitting it because it's "toxic". I just fear this will be another OnlyFans situation, where they announce they're going to crack down on the problem, and then publicly back down do to "user feedback" so they can say they tried.
Who gets to decide what is harmful, do I get to sue them if they do not block speech I deem harmful, and I feel my kids should not be seeing or reading. Remember it's all about kids safety and well being.
I peruse Twitter because I find it entertaining and I frequently hear news first on the platform before the rest of the media picks it up. A lot of really amazing people are on the platform and the interaction and sharing of ideas is brilliant.
As great as it is, Twitter is also a “cesspool” of nasty people with hatred in their hearts. It I has become a place for those with ill intent to shout others down and belittle them without repercussion. Many are egged on in their bad behavior by their followers. This behavior is a reflection of humanity at large. It’s not pretty but it’s real. Does Jack Dorsey want his baby to continue to facilitate bringing out the worst in people? The answer is almost certainly no, he does not. But finding the right balance won’t be easy either, since it’s all too easy to throw the baby out with the bath water. Jack will have to ask (and I’m sure he has), what is Twitter, and what does he want it to be? That’s actually a harder question to answer than you might think at first.
I don’t know how this new filter will work out. Not everyone will like it. It may fail. But at least they’re trying something and can learn from it and improve it over time.