Twitter Rolls Out Direct Message Anti-Abuse Feature

After a month and a half of testing, Twitter is rolling out a spam and abuse filter for Direct Messages (DM), according to a report by TechCrunch.

The new filter is designed to protect users from seeing unwanted graphic images or abusive content. The filter does this by adding a new view to the Additional Messages, where users can view DMs from people they don’t follow. Messages that contain potentially offensive or graphic content have their previews hidden when a user clicks on the DM, even providing an option to delete the message without opening it.

We tested, and turns out filters help you cut through the noise to find gems. Who knew. So we’re rolling out this filter to everyone on iOS, Android, and web!

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 30, 2019

The feature should be a welcome—albeit long-overdue—addition to the social media service, already under fire for not doing enough to protect users. In recent years, there have been high-profile defections from the platform as users have reached their limit in dealing with trolls and online abuse.

Hopefully, Twitter continues to take positive steps to rein in bad behavior. If so, it should help the platform remain a viable marketing option for companies large and small.