Twitter Testing Sending Prompt to Users Posting ‘Offensive’ Replies

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Twitter is to test sending prompts to users who may be using “offensive or hurtful language” in their replies. Users will be told if the language in their tweet is similar to that used in posts that have been reported when they hit “send”.

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Twitter to Prompt Potential Rule Breakers

The decision on whether to send a prompt will be based around the social network’s current policies banning slurs, racist or sexist tropes, and degrading content. Sunita Saligram, Twitter’s global head of site policy for trust and safety, told Reuters:

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.

5 thoughts on “Twitter Testing Sending Prompt to Users Posting ‘Offensive’ Replies

    1. I could not agree more. By design Twitter brings out the unguarded thought, the insensitive reply, the emotional response, the angry outburst. The format itself discourages any form of thoughtful discussion or reflection. Twitter is designed to be toxic. The world would be a better place if Twitter were shut down for the same reason your town is a better place when a crack house is shut down.

  • Charlotte:

    Replies, you say? Perish the thought that anyone would ever do this, but what about original posts?

    I’m sure that 0.05% of people who might regret their hurtful and offensive posts will be eternally grateful.

    In fairness, this may be useful to a limited demographic, but Twitter and all social media, and the algorithms that determine popularity select for emotive posts, particularly outrage. That is the plan and the whole business proposition for many vested interests. Unless and until that is corrected, this ‘prompt’ maybe more like telling a crime boss that racketeering is ‘really bad’, or worse, telling trolls, ‘Fire away. You got tone!’

  • So if someone puts **** in their tweet Twitter will let them know they put **** in their Tweet.
    No **** Sherlock is likely to be the common reply.

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