Although it is one of the top sites for public discourse, Twitter is also a hub for trolls. Whether it be a spam account or a detractor out to destroy your public image, the social network can oftentimes be a hostile place. This week, Twitter has announced new features that will crack down on repeat offender trolls and defamatory accounts.
Here are three new ways Twitter is trying to protect its users from hostile messages:
1. Phone numbers
Twitter started asking users whose accounts have been banned to give the company their phone numbers in 2015. This move is intended to ensure Twitter users are real people and not just bots or spam accounts. While not a new change, it makes it harder for suspended accounts to get back online.
2. Updated search bar
Twitter said it is working on a new search function that will cut out “potentially sensitive” content from top results in searches. The new search bar will also ignore tweets from accounts the user has blocked.
3. Conversation filters
Soon Twitter’s default settings will hide content in thread that it perceives as “Less Relevant Replies” – which that anything “potentially abusive” or “low quality” will not be readily available.
While many users will welcome these changes as a much-needed remedy to a social network often cluttered with bad content, Twitter’s update could become a censoring tool. Only time will tell.
Sourcing via The Washington Post.