What you need to know
- Twitter is testing a new feature for iOS users.
- The feature will prompt you to confirm or revise a reply that contains hurtful language.
- It is the company's latest effort to help keep its platform safe for its users.
Twitter is starting to test a new feature that will stop and make you take a second before saying something potentially hurtful on the platform. The company announced the feature on its Twitter Support account, saying that it is running an experiment on iOS that will prompt you to confirm or revise a reply that contains certain language.
"When things get heated, you may say things you don't mean. 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."
When things get heated, you may say things you don't mean. 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.When things get heated, you may say things you don't mean. 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.— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 5, 2020May 5, 2020
In an interview with Reuters, Sunita Saligram, Twitter's global head of site policy for trust and safety, says that the company is trying to help people rethink potentially harmful language before posting to its platform. Saligram hopes that the feature may help prevent people from saying something they regret.
"We're trying to encourage people to rethink their behavior and rethink their language before posting because they often are in the heat of the moment and they might say something they regret."
The feature is rolling out in a limited fashion for iOS users. If it turns out to be well-received, the company could roll it out as a feature for all users of the app. The feature is currently limited to iOS and not available on the Twitter app for macOS.
