Twitter unveils a set of new anti-trolling tools making it easier to report internet abuse
Twitter has introduced a set of new "anti-trolling" tools, meaning it's now harder for its 284m active users to "troll" one another.
"Trolling" is a description for when a user's Twitter account or posts are bombarded with insults, provocations or threats.
The social network unveiled a set of faster, more mobile friendly tools which will make it easier for users to flag abusive content.
Users can click on a tweet, select "block or report" and then click through a list of reasons explaining why they want to do this.
People who witness abuse, but are not the ones actually receiving it, will also be able to report it.
Additionally Twitter has improved its behind-the-scenes procedures, such as reviewing and responding to abuse reports faster.
Starting today we're rolling out an improved way to flag abusive Tweets. See how it works. https://t.co/Yf6cStz0z1
— Twitter Support (@Support) December 2, 2014
Presently, it has a one-click button that takes users to a page where they must fill out a report describing the alleged harassment.
Twitter has created a new page where users can see all the account they have blocked, and these people will no longer be able to view their homepage.
The company has also promised to add more controls and features to this in the coming months.
Twitter said in a blog post:
Everything that happens in the world, happens on Twitter – to the tune of more than 500 million Tweets every day.
That can sometimes include content that violates our rules around harassment and abuse and we want to make it easier to report such content.
So, we’re improving the reporting process to make it much more mobile-friendly, require less initial information, and, overall, make it simpler to flag Tweets and accounts for review.
The online social networking service has come under fire amid a spate of reports about death and rape threats.
Last month, Olympic gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill received death threats after she said she would request her name to be removed from a stand at Sheffield United if it offered a new contract to convicted rapist Ched Evans.