Twitter is launching a feature that it hopes will help crack down on abuse and trolling, both of which have become huge issues for the platform. The feature called Safety Mode will work automatically once enabled, taking the burden off users to deal with unwelcome tweets. This was according to Katy Minshall, head of Twitter UK Public Policy, who said that the company has made strides in giving people greater control over their safety experience on Twitter and there is always more to be done.
He continued that Twitter is introducing Safety Mode; a feature that allows users to automatically reduce disruptive interactions on Twitter, which in turn improves the health of the public conversation.
"Safety Mode will flag accounts using hateful remarks and will block them for seven days."The Safety Mode will initially be tested on a small group of users. It can be turned on in settings, and the system will assess both the tweet’s content and the relationship between the tweet author and replier. Accounts that are followed by the user or frequently interacted with, will not be auto blocked.
The feature will work automatically once enabled, taking the burden off users to deal with unwelcome tweets and will flag accounts using hateful remarks, or those bombarding people with uninvited comments, and block them for seven days.
Alongside dealing with abuse on the platform, Twitter has become more determined to crack down on misinformation. In August it partnered with Reuters and the Associated Press to debunk misleading information and stop its spread.
Like other social media platforms, Twitter relies on a combination of automated and human moderation.