Twitter working on filter to curb abuse

Twitter Inc. is working on a keyword-based tool that will let people filter the posts they see, giving users a more effective way to block out harassing and offensive tweets, according to people familiar with the matter.

The San Francisco company has been discussing how to implement the tool for about a year as it seeks to stem abuse on the site, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiative isn’t public. By using keywords, users could block swear words or racial slurs, for example, to screen out offenders.

Twitter has struggled to find a technological solution to the turmoil that can result from the product’s core feature: Anyone can publicly say anything to anyone else. Abuse has led to many high-profile departures of celebrities and journalists, who say they can no longer stand to be attacked. There was a New York Times reporter who quit after enduring a spate of anti-Semitic tweets, for example, as well as actress Leslie Jones, who faced a similar barrage of racially biased and sexist attacks.

Twitter took some small steps this year, such as making it easier for people to report abuse by letting them identify multiple offending tweets while filing their complaints. But the keyword tool, if implemented, would be the first to give users more control over what they see instead of blocking individual users after they attack.

A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment, although the company has said it plans soon to release more substantial updates about its plans to combat harassment.

— Bloomberg News