Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter.
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Richard Drew / AP
Twitter is well known for having an online harassment problem, but the company is continuing to release new features to help curb abuse. On Wednesday, just weeks after its last release of new features, it announced three new updates to its anti-harassment tools:
- Limiting accounts with abusive behaviors: Twitter says it's working to increasingly pick up on harassing behavior from accounts even before they're reported. When it's confident that an account is bothering others, Twitter will temporary limit its functions such as allowing only the user's followers to see their tweets. While it's only taking this mild approach for now, it wouldn't be a surprise if Twitter eventually takes more permanent actions as it gets better at picking up on this behavior.
- Additional notification filters and mute options: Now, users can chose to not get notifications from accounts such as those without a profile photo, unverified email addresses or phone numbers. They can now also mute specific keywords and conversations right from their timeline and pick for how long — a day, week, month, or forever.
- More communication: Twitter also says it will provide more updates to users who report abusive behavior, including notifications when the company receives their reports and again if they take action. It will also give updates when a user reports abuse towards someone else.
Why it matters: Abuse and harassment is a problem that has plagued Twitter for years and that the company has struggled to meaningfully remedy — something former CEO Dick Costolo recently regretted not stopping early on. But it seems Twitter is beginning to thoughtfully work on the problem.
The story has been updated to clarify Twitter's new muting options and reporting notifications.