Twitter tests new "Safe Mode" harassment prevention feature

Twitter is experimenting with its most aggressive anti-harassment features to date. The company will begin testing "Safety Mode," a new account setting that automatically blocks opponents who use "potentially harmful language."

Twitter first introduced the feature back in February during its "Analyst Day" presentation, and is now starting to provide it to a "small group of users." It's still unclear when it will be available to the general public.

Introducing Safety Mode. A new way to limit unwelcome interactions on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/xa5Ot2TVhF

- Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) September 1, 2021

When Safety Mode is turned on, it proactively blocks accounts that might be a source of harassment for seven days. Twitter claims that the system is designed so that accounts of people you know or communicate with frequently will not be blocked, as opposed to characters with patterns of online troll behavior.

Since this system is still in a relatively early stage, Twitter says it is likely to have some bugs. Users can manually review tweets and accounts marked with Safety Mode and override erroneous auto-locks. After a seven-day period, users will receive a notification with a "summary" of the actions taken by Safety Mode.

Source: TwitterSafety