Twitter is reportedly working on keyword filtering tool to fight trolls

Twitter is working on a filtering tool that will let users block certain keywords in order to fight online abuse and harassment, reports Bloomberg. Apparently, Twitter has been discussing the tool internally for about a year, although it’s unclear when or if it might be put into place.

The feature, according to Bloomberg looks quite similar to the one recently added by Instagram, which lets users block comments containing certain words from appearing on their posts. But, unlike the Instagram tool, this one doesn’t out rightly remove messages and simply lets people avoid seeing tweets from specific accounts.

Twitter users can reportedly set these filters and avoid being shown tweets with racial or gendered speak and also evade events or conversation topics they’re not interested in.

The San Francisco-based company has taken many small steps to fight against trolling 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.

Twitter has been struggling on a double front of late. Not just the user growth has stagnated, online abuse and trolling is leading to ever increasing high-profile departures of celebrities and journalists from the platform, who say they can no longer stand to be attacked. Hopefully, this new filtering tool will change this.

Though the move might improve user experience on Twitter, it isn’t a foolproof plan. Trolls can still find their way in by deliberately misspelling words or coming up with new ways to deliver their insults.