Going viral on Twitter has some unexpected side-effects. Such is the toxic nature of the discourse, a popular tweet could also leave its creator open to dog’s abuse.
So, Twitter has launched a new Safety Mode feature that aims to block out that noise before you’re subjected to it. If the feature is enabled, accounts tweeting abusive or hateful comments in response will be automatically blocked for a week.
Don’t worry though, it won’t affect your friends’ knack of insulting you and will respect existing relationships.
In a blog post, Twitter writes: “Safety Mode is a feature that temporarily blocks accounts for seven days for using potentially harmful language — such as insults or hateful remarks — or sending repetitive and uninvited replies or mentions.
“When the feature is turned on in your Settings, our systems will assess the likelihood of a negative engagement by considering both the Tweet’s content and the relationship between the Tweet author and replier. Our technology takes existing relationships into account, so accounts you follow or frequently interact with will not be autoblocked.”
Any blocked accounts will be prevented from seeing more of your tweets, following your account or bombarding you with DMs.
Twitter says the goal is to limited “overwhelming and unwelcome interactions” that interrupt otherwise healthy discourse on Twitter. The feature is currently being tested with Twitter planning to observe how it is working before rolling it out to everyone.
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Those with access to the feature can find it via Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Safety > Your Twitter Activity > Safety Mode, where they’ll be able to tinker with the settings.
Elsewhere today Twitter is also rolling out the new Super Follow subscriptions, enabling popular accounts to monetise their content. The company writes: “Through Super Follows, people can set a monthly subscription of $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month to monetise bonus, “behind-the-scenes” content for their most engaged followers on Twitter.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
