Twitter testing a new feature to warn users about profile with ‘potentially sensitive content’

Twitter is doing all it can to make its platform controversy free. In its latest attempts in the same direction, the micro-blogging site is testing a new feature that flags users’ profiles that contains 'potentially sensitive content.’

This means whenever you visit someone’s profile containing strong language or graphic media with violence or nudity, you will get a warning message that reads, “Caution: This profile may include sensitive content.” When you click a link to the profile on Twitter, the message appears in a pop-up window. And if you visit the profile directly, the warning message is all that displays until you agree to view the content by clicking the “Yes, view profile” button.

@NazNazarian FYI Twitter is marking your account as "sensitive". pic.twitter.com/RNsRqzMQgV

— Mark Humphrys (@markhumphrys) March 9, 2017

@guldeuxchats the goverment doesn't want us to see Casey pics pic.twitter.com/pJtsWek5wh

— A Blog's Purpose (@Cam_Oflage) March 8, 2017

Curiously, the definition of what constitutes sensitive content, is pretty vague here. The company allows content that has violence or nudity, but does not allow pornography or excessive violence in live video, or in your profile image or header image. But sensitive content does not appear to be limited to this. Users can choose to mark themselves as someone who tweets sensitive content through their “Privacy and Safety” settings.

Notably users can also report tweets to Twitter team and if the content of the tweet is found to be sensitive, the content will be labeled accordingly as well. Twitter will also adjust your account setting automatically, so that all your future tweets are marked accordingly.

Twitter has been proactive these days to address the issues of safety and abuse on its network. It has rolled out new filters for hiding harassing content, safer search results, a “time out” feature for bullies, user interface tweaks to hide low-quality and abusive tweets, a better Mute option, more transparency around abuse reporting and smarter algorithms for identifying and handling abusive content, as well as those that prevent abusers from coming back after it bans using new accounts.