Facebook introduces 'ignore' button and other new tools to fight harassment

Facebook has unveiled a series of new tools to fight abuse and harassment over the social network. Facebook says the new tools will make you feel safer while using the platform. One of the new tool introduced is that when you block someone who is harassing you, the person cannot create a new account and continue to harass you.

Facebook is also adding an ignore button that will mute a conversation without the sender knowing. You can now mark conversations as “ignore,” which will disable notifications and move the conversation to Filtered Messages. There, you can read the conversation without letting the sender see if they’ve been read. Facebook says this feature will only available for one on one conversations, but will expand to group messages.

“The person who blocked the original account is in control and must initiate contact with the new account in order for them to interact normally,” Antigone Davis, Global Head of Safety, Facebook wrote in a blog post.

Facebook says it has worked with experts in a variety of fields to offer safety resources for people on Facebook. In the blog post, Davis said the company has worked with the National Network to End Domestic Violence and worked to learn more about the experiences of journalists on Facebook.