The social network Twitter will launch a "
safe mode
" to reduce "
disruptive interactions
" and make conversations "
healthier
", announced Wednesday the American company, which is under increasing pressure to protect its users against hatred online.
Specifically, this "
safe mode
" ( "
safety fashion
" in English) is a feature that blocks temporarily, for seven days, accounts that use a "
potentially harmful language
" as insults, still or hateful remarks "
repetitive mentions and unsolicited
”.
"
Authors of tweets deemed harmful or unsolicited by our technology will be automatically blocked, which means they will temporarily not be able to track your account, view your tweets or send you direct messages
," Twitter detailed in a statement.
Twitter said it consulted with experts in online safety, mental health and human rights when creating the tool, and made changes accordingly.
This new feature has also been pre-tested by a small number of users, with priority given to women journalists and members of other groups who often find themselves the targets of abuse.
Twitter sued in France
Like other social media giants, Twitter allows users to report posts they consider hateful, including racist, homophobic and sexist posts.
But many users have long complained that loopholes in Twitter's policy allow violent and discriminatory comments to remain online in many cases.
The platform is being sued in France by six anti-discrimination groups who accuse the company of "
persistent
"
failures
to block hateful comments.
The French justice ordered last July to Twitter to communicate, within two months, documents detailing its means of combating hatred online.
Read also French justice orders Twitter to detail its means of combating hate online
Twitter's announcement comes weeks after its competitor Instagram (a subsidiary of Facebook) unveiled new tools to tackle abusive and racist content, notably following a series of hateful comments directed against black footballers in the United States. England team at the last European Nations Championship.