Twitter is testing a new feature that could reduce bullying and harassment on its platform. Under the experiment, the company will ask users if they want to “rethink” replies before they hit send on potentially offensive tweets.
“To let you rethink a reply, we’re running a limited experiment on iOS with a prompt that gives you the option to revise your reply before it’s published if it uses language that could be harmful,” the company wrote.
The feature is similar to an anti-bullying feature Instagram introduced last year. The photo sharing app uses AI to detect language that might be offensive and asks users to rethink the comment before they hit send. Twitter’s version will look for words “similar to those in posts that have been reported,” according to Reuters.
That said, this new experiment seems less concerned with curbing the more extreme forms of content for which Twitter might normally remove, suspend, or ban users. Instead, it seems more designed to lightly encourage users to avoid unnecessary and inflammatory language that escalates feuds and might lead to suspensions. After all, you can simply ignore Twitter’s warning and post the reply anyway. But perhaps with a little nudge, Twitter thinks at least some users might reconsider.
