Twitter Makes Reporting Abuse Easier; Makes Improvements to Block

Online abuse is nothing new on Twitter, but as more people are harassed and tensions begin to mount, it’s about time that steps were taken to prevent more disruptive behavior. To address recent concerns within the platform, Twitter has updated its reporting process to make flagging tweets simpler, and has also made managing of the block function much more organized. The announcement—made on December 2, 2014—will facilitate a faster response from Twitter and will improve the process of reporting abusive tweets or users.

More importantly, Twitter is now making the blocking of users both easier and far more organized. As demonstrated by their Support team in Figure 1 above, blocking of certain users will also let Twitter know the grounds for doing so.

With just a few swipes within their official app, an account can be blocked and reported to Twitter for a particular violation. Users can also quickly manage the accounts they’ve blocked in a new page that can be accessed from their Settings. [See Figure 2] Of these new changes, Twitter says they wanted to make the reporting process for harassment “much more mobile-friendly, [requiring] less initial information”.

With over 500 million tweets posted daily, it certainly can be difficult for Twitter to keep track of all those who adhere to its content boundaries. The sheer volume of tweets being produced also makes it harder for Twitter to detect if users are using their accounts solely for abuse.

However, with recent talked about controversies such as the abusive tweets directed toward Zelda Williams after her father’s passing, and the continued violence and misogynistic threats directed toward women in the gaming industry, steps taken to make Twitter a much safer space for those who enjoy it and abide by its rules is a good move.

Twitter said these new features are currently available to a “small group of users,” but will soon be available to everyone in the coming weeks.

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