Twitter is stepping up how it deals with rule-breaking accounts by finally allowing users to flag errant tweets en masse.
Starting today, anyone can submit multiple offending tweets into a single report, which the social media service says will greatly expedite the review process when investigating abuse on the site.
Reporting individual tweets - the standard operating procedure for taking down harmful accounts until now - yielded mixed results due to how little context a single flagged missive could give on the situation.
By allowing multiple tweets in a report, users can provide better background as to why a user is violating the site's terms of service or the safety of another account. It also ensures Twitter's administrators aren't get bombarded with alerts over a single problem account.
Tackling Twitter's problems
Offenses punishable by suspension are listed in full on Twitter's policies page, and they include using the service for unlawful conduct, spamming, and abusive behaviors such as harassment or doxxing. Upon investigation, Twitter can then lock the account temporarily or shut it down completely.
Twitter's updated reporting system is rolling out today for the service's iOS, Android and web versions, with plans for users worldwide to have access to the feature in the near future - much to the relief of many prolific tweeters.
Online harassment has been a nagging issue for the microblog for a while, a wound picked at by controversies like Gamergate and other instances of toxic behavior thriving on the site. These led Twitter to develop its own super-squad to combat trolls earlier this year.
Not only is Twitter's updated reporting system a reduced headache for victims of abuse, it's also a solid step forward for the site as it's confronting issues head on rather than letting them fester, which has led to users fleeing for safer-feeling waters.
