Twitter Launches Safety Mode Feature, Automatically Blocks Users In Beta

The Twitter Safety Mode feature has finally been extended to users in beta. (photo: doc. beta)

JAKARTA - The Twitter Safety Mode feature has finally been extended to users in beta. The feature, introduced last September, can help temporarily block accounts that send malicious or abusive tweets.

This feature is certainly very useful, considering that malicious or abusive tweets are still too often a problem on this platform. Safety Mode was tested by 750 users during the initial trial.

Now the company will roll out the beta version to about 50 percent of users (randomly selected) in supported markets. With this, Twitter hopes that users can provide feedback directly in the app.

The beta version itself will roll out to English-language markets, including the United States (US), United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Twitter has been facing a constant struggle with its social media which is considered dangerous. Over the years, the company has tried to roll out a number of tweaks and updates in an attempt to address this issue, including a feature that automatically hides unpleasant and insulting replies.

The feature allows users to limit who can reply to their tweets. However, Safety Mode is more of a defensive tool than one designed to proactively push the conversation in the right direction.

Launching TechCrunch, Wednesday, February 16, Safety Mode works automatically by blocking accounts for seven days where they are found to be tweeting harmful language or sending repeated malicious replies, such as insults and hate comments.

As long as Safety Mode is enabled, the blocked account will not be able to follow the original sender's Twitter account, view their tweets and replies, or send them Direct Messages.

Twitter's algorithms determine which accounts to temporarily block by assessing the language used in replies and examining the relationship between the tweeter and those who replied.