Twitter has opened up about its tests on a feature that intends to control users from sending a reply using language that could be “offensive or hurtful.”
The Twitter app for iOS will show a popup message when a user hits “send” on a reply that includes “content which could be offensive or hurtful”. Users will then have the opportunity to review the tweet and remove the language or post it anyway.
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.
“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,”
– Sunita Salifram,
global head – site policy for trust and safety, Twitter
Twitter has opposed the idea of adding an edit button. Instead, CEO Jack Dorsey has suggested features that could make it easier to add clarity to tweets. This new feature will be tested first through a “limited experiment” for iOS users with a wide rollout expected in the coming months.
