In keeping with their efforts to make the social media site more amenable, Twitter will start to roll out some changes to its platform. These updates intend to keep offensive tweets and content out of the website before they reach people’s timelines.
The latest of these changes will now make it more difficult for banned people to return to Twitter under different aliases.
Also, a new set of filters will keep offensive content from the eyes of users, though they will have the ability to turn them off.
Many people have scolded Twitter for not taking stronger action against bullying and online harassment.
Besides, some people think the application of its community guidelines can be arbitrary at times.
One of the best examples for this could be the longtime struggle some users have had regarding Donald Trump’s official account, which many see as inherently offensive. However, Twitter has not closed it, stating there haven’t been any obvious violations.
Twitter’s new policies against Internet trolls
The company’s official announcement did not get into much detail regarding the measures they would take to stop online harassment this time. However, they specified the new upgrades would roll out to the website in the coming weeks.
“We stand for freedom of expression and people being able to see all sides of any topic.” Ed Ho, VP of Engineering, wrote in the statement. “That’s put in jeopardy when abuse and harassment stifle and silence those voices.”
For now, Twitter only identified three fields in which these new measures will work. Stopping repeat Twitter offenders, introducing safer results on a Twitter search, and shutting down shady tweets and replies.
Use your account settings to avoid watching inappropriate content
Following the racist and sexist harassment against the Ghostbusters’ star Leslie Jones, Twitter made its ‘Quality filter’ available for all accounts, everywhere in the world.
Users can activate it via PC or mobile by getting into the ‘Notifications’ tab, then Settings, and check the box that says ‘Quality filter.’ The tool has received excellent reviews because of its ability to hide potentially abusive and offensive content from a user’s timeline.
Another way of silencing these type of content including ‘muting’ certain keywords, hashtags, or conversations, not only users.
For a more active stance against trolls on the website, users can use the Report tool, which many people regard as highly arbitrary and ineffective. However, recent updates to the site’s policies have made it easier to detect and remove potentially offensive accounts and tweets.
Source: Twitter
