- Lawrence Ng
Twitter Tests Feature That Lets Users Remove Followers Without Blocking Them To Lessen Abuse
Twitter recently announced that it is testing a feature that allows users to remove followers without needing to block them, helping them avoid the possible harassment that could result from blocking an account. This is a part of the micro-blogging site's efforts to curb privacy and abuse issues on its platform.
Selected users can remove followers by accessing their own profile page, clicking "followers", then clicking the three dots seen next to a follower's name and selecting the "remove this follower" option.
When a person has been removed as a follower of your account, you will no longer appear on their feed and they will not be notified of your action. On the other hand, it is clear when you block a user as the other person can verify this by visiting your account page.
Aside from the soft block, Twitter recently announced another test feature called Safety Mode, which aims to limit harmful behaviour on the platform. Users who are a part of the functionality's feedback group can temporarily block accounts that may use harmful language for seven days. This can range from offensive remarks to repetitive and uninvited replies or mentions.
Users who have been perceived as harmful by Twitter's technology for tweeting hurtful or unsolicited messages will be autoblocked. This will make them unable to follow your account, communicate with you via Direct Messages or view your tweets. However, Twitter stated that it will not autoblock accounts that you follow or frequently interact with, which could pose an issue if someone you're familiar with begins to attack you online.
"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," the company stated.
The micro-blogging site also said that members of the testing group can review information about the tweets they flagged through Safety Mode as well as temporarily blocked accounts at any given time. Before the end of each Safety Mode period, Twitter will send testers a notification containing this information.
Safety Mode autoblocks can be seen and reversed in a user's account settings at any time. Twitter added that it will regularly track the accuracy of its Safety Mode feature in order to enhance the systems' detection capabilities.
Written by Sophia Lopez
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