Twitter Launches New Controls To Help Users Report Abuse, Harassment

Under the veil of the Internet, people tend to post things they wouldn't say in person. We've all encountered the so-called Internet tough guy or troll, though some comments and posts step so far out of bounds that it constitutes harassment and/or cyber bullying. It's a problem that not only exists, but also is getting worse, which is why Twitter decided to enhance its in-product harassment-reporting tool.

In an effort to streamline the process of reporting abuse, Twitter made the process much more mobile friendly and cut back on the amount of initial information that's required. It now asks if you or someone else is being affected and what the nature of the harassment is. There's also a text field to add more information if you're reporting abuse on behalf of yourself.

Twitter also made changes to its blocking features, starting with a new blocked accounts page. It's accessible from the settings menu on Twitter's website, and if you go there, you'll see which accounts you've blocked. Those that you've stonewalled are no longer able to see your profile. In the coming months, Twitter says it will add more controls and features to the blocked accounts page, but didn't say what they might be.

The microblogging service was moved to action with these enhancements after a few high profile incidents occurred, leading to criticism over Twitter's seemingly lax approach to abuse. Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, was essentially chased off Twitter by several online bullies who posted altered images of her father after he committed suicide. They also tagged her in the photos so she would be almost certain to seem them.