New Twitter Safety Mode Filters Replies, Blocks Accounts

Twitter is rolling out a new feature called Safety Mode. When you enable it for your account, it temporarily blocks accounts for seven days for using potentially harmful language or sending repetitive and uninvited replies or mentions.

You can find information about the Tweets flagged through Safety Mode and view the details of temporarily blocked accounts at any time. Before each Safety Mode period ends, you’ll receive a notification recapping this information. We won’t always get this right and may make mistakes, so Safety Mode autoblocks can be seen and undone at any time in your Settings. We’ll also regularly monitor the accuracy of our Safety Mode systems to make improvements to our detection capabilities.

I think a lot of things can be said about Twitter, but at least they’re trying (unlike Facebook).

Flipboard Gives People Tools to Prevent 'Doomscrolling'

Flipboard is rolling out a series of personalization tools to help people cut back on doomscrolling.

The company announced this morning the launch of a new controller on the cover of its own main newsfeed, aka the “For You” feed, which now allows users to select new topics to follow and deselect those they no longer want to hear about. The feature, which Flipboard dubs “an antidote to doomscrolling,” allows users to customize their For You feed to deliver a wider selection of stories related to their various interests, instead of focusing their home page on breaking news and politics.

OnlyFans Has ‘Secured Assurances’ and Suspends Porn Ban

Days after it announced that it will ban sexually explicit content on its platform, OnlyFans has reversed its decision. The pressure for this ban came from “banking partners and payout providers.” But as TechCrunch notes, the decision has been “suspended” which could mean the ban may not fully be canceled.

In response to the planned policy change, some creators had already deleted their OnlyFans accounts and moved to alternate services. With this recent reversal, creators will have to decide between returning to the platform or leaving it altogether for a rival service.

Also, not to be that guy but banks exerting financial pressure in cases like this is exactly what cryptocurrency can help with.

Facebook Bans Accounts of Researchers Investigating its Disinformation Problem

Facebook has banned the accounts of researchers who were studying the platform’s political ads and disinformation.

The tools were the subject of a long-running standoff between the social network, which claimed scraping violates its terms of service, and the researchers, who argued that more digital advertising transparency is essential to understanding and protecting elections.

Twitter Tests New ‘Shop Module’ Feature for iOS Users

Twitter is piloting a new feature on Wednesday called Shop Module. It will let brands add a shopping section at the top of their profiles. The pilot is currently limited to iOS devices for people who use the service in English.

The Shop Module is a dedicated space at the top of a profile where businesses can showcase their products. When people visit a profile with the Shop Module enabled, they can scroll through the carousel of products and tap through on a single product to learn more and purchase — seamlessly in an in-app browser, without having to leave Twitter.

UK Man Joseph O’Connor Arrested for Hacking Apple’s Twitter Account

Joseph O’Connor, also known as “PlugWalkJoe” has been arrested for hacking Apple’s Twitter account in 2020. He also faces charges for “takeovers of TikTok and Snapchat user accounts.”

O’Connor openly identified himself as “PlugWalkJoe” and confirmed that the hackers had obtained Twitter credentials to take over the accounts via an internal company Slack. At the time, O’Connor was fairly bullish about his involvement and apparent safety, “They can come arrest me. I would laugh at them. I haven’t done anything,” he told the Times.

He had also compromised the Twitter accounts of Elon Musk, former President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, President Joe Biden, and a few others.

Audio App ‘Clubhouse’ Exits Beta With Over 10 Million Users

Clubhouse, the invite-only social audio platform, has exited beta on Wednesday. The new release is out today on iOS and Android and updates with appear every 1-2 weeks.

This means we have removed our waitlist system so that anyone can join. If you have a club, you can post your link far and wide. If you are a creator with an audience, you can bring them all on. If you’re hosting a public event, anyone can attend. You can bring close friends, classmates, family members, coworkers, and anyone else you like.

Tumblr Debuts ‘Post+’ Plan for Creators to Make Money

Tumblr has launched a subscription plan in beta called Post+. It’s a way to help creators make money by letting them charge for blogging access.

As a creator you’ll set up an account for payments in a quick and easy process. You’ll then be able to make a +Post (a post with a paywall), only viewable to you and your supporters. You’ll also be able to offer supporter-exclusive perks.

As a supporter, you’ll back the creators you love with a monthly subscription, giving you access to exclusive content and perks.

Instagram Launches Control for Viewing Sensitive Content

Instagram has launched a Sensitive Content Control feature for content that appears in the Explore tab.

This new feature gives you control over sensitive content. You can decide to leave things as they are or you can adjust the Sensitive Content Control to see more or less of some types of sensitive content. We recognize that everybody has different preferences for what they want to see in Explore, and this control will give people more choice over what they see.

New Twitter Feature Lets You Control Who Can Respond to You

Twitter is rolling out a new feature that lets users control who can respond to specific tweets.

Building on a 2020 feature that lets users choose who can reply when composing a message, this update could prove especially useful for folks whose posts receive unexpected attention or unwanted responses. Simply tap on the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of a tweet to modify the “Change who can reply” option.

Snap's Deal With Universal Music Group Lets Users Access Music

Snap Inc. and Universal Music Group have reached a deal that would give Snapchat users access to thousands of songs to share in messages and posts.

Snap users will be able to use songs from Universal in messages and posts in the app, the two companies said Thursday. Music fans also can share links to full songs from their streaming service of choice. Financial terms of the partnership, which includes new features that tout Universal artists, weren’t disclosed.

Twitter Launches Audio Conversation Feature ‘Spaces’

Twitter is one of the companies trying to complete with audio app Clubhouse. On Monday Twitter officially released its feature called Spaces centered around audio conversations.

Today, we’re bringing the ability to host a Space to all accounts with 600 or more followers on Twitter. Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience. Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.