It’s good to see Twitter proactively jump on the privacy train. With the spread of misinformation and harmful content gradually rising, Twitter is now looking to give users more control over the content that they see while browsing on the app. The platform is expanding its keyword blocking and mute tools, which now apply beyond the main timeline.
Twitter explains:
“We’re working on some updates so keywords you’ve muted and accounts you’ve muted/blocked stay out of a few more places. First up, Events. Now across Android, iOS, and web, Events from accounts you’ve blocked or muted won’t appear in your Explore tab, “What’s happening” sidebar and emails, or Event-based notifications.”
HUSHtag
This update helps provide users with additional assurance and, more importantly, control thanks to more comprehensive censorship that enables them to avoid topics and/or people that they don’t want to see. This helps reduce, if not eliminate, instances wherein users are exposed to potentially disturbing content and profiles, significantly improving the all-around user experience.
Because Twitter curates and engages in rather niche content, it’s understandable if they would have less than the standard amount of blocking and censorship capabilities, but it’s the significant limitation of blocking tools, specifically, that has been a long-standing issue for the platform. Users have repeatedly voiced their frustrations about topics they don’t want to see continuously appearing on their Feed and timelines, even after they’ve blocked every possible iteration of related terms and keywords.
There were issues with Twitter’s systems in the past, perhaps explaining why some of these blocked terms persist, but the bigger problem is that ‘Muting’ and keyword blocking don’t apply to all elements, even from the get-go, which presents a very big gap in terms of upholding total user integrity.
Fortunately, this rather large loophole is now being addressed, with Twitter starting with events and soon extending to Explore, Spaces, and more. The only sad thing to note is what took Twitter so long to respond to an otherwise pertinent and important issue? Surely leadership under Jack Dorsey and former management have nothing to do with it, right? Well, we can only speculate.
The Wrap
It’s a much-welcomed logical update for Twitter and its systems. Considering the impacts of unwanted exposure on Twitter, and any other platform for that matter, can have on mental health, it’s an important refinement for Twitter’s user control systems.
Especially with the nuisance and prevalence of Twitter Bots and all kinds of people who have some sort of dangerous psychological disorder, updated Twitter censorship controls will make the platform safer, healthier, and a more conducive environment to be on, one where meaningful and relevant discussions can fully reside in.
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