Instagram’s efforts to block hateful or abusive DM requests will soon be taken another step further. In Instagram’s latest blog post, the app outlines how it will further prevent people from even seeing hateful or abusive DMs in the first place.
The new tool introduced by Instagram will allow users to automatically filter out direct message requests containing offensive words, phrases, and emojis. The tool is targeted at celebrities and public figures who receive a large number of unwanted, harmful DMs.
DM requests will be filtered if they contain any of these emojis or phrases, or any emojis or words that you specify. Options for this feature will be found in a new section of the Privacy Settings called “Hidden Words”.
When the feature will be enabled, offensive messages will be pushed to a separate folder. The messages stored in that folder will then be concealed, allowing users to browse messages without needing to read what they say. If a user taps into a message, they will be able to read, delete, or report it further.
On a related note, in 2018, the company expanded its offensive comments filter to automatically block comments that attack a person’s appearance or character.
Instagram has also made it harder for a blocked user to try to contact you. If you block a user, you’ll have the option to also block any new accounts that the user creates in efforts to contact you again.
Instagram shared that the new feature will roll out to “several countries” in the coming weeks, though it did not specify which countries those are. The company plans to expand to more countries in the next few months.
