Former Twitter wants to fight spam bots

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is developing a new feature that is primarily aimed at combating spam posts on the service.

According to Nima Owji, an independent app researcher who has uncovered several unreleased X features in the past, the company is working on the ability to disable links in replies.

Read too:

Koo, Twitter’s rival that was successful in Brazil, is shut down
Alexandre de Moraes fines X/Twitter R$700,000 for failing to remove defamatory post

Combating spam and self-promotion

The new feature was revealed in an image posted by Owji, which even shows that it will be an option, as users will have to check a box to activate it. By doing so, they prevent other people from being able to respond to their posts with links. If they don’t want to activate it, just leave the box unchecked.

X is working on the ability to let you disable links in the replies of your posts! pic.twitter.com/dddP0a8l5w

— Nima Owji (@nima_owji) July 19, 2024

The new feature was also confirmed by Christopher Stanley, Senior Director of Security Engineering at X, who ended up posting a response on the image itself and revealing that it was his team that built the new feature.

The new feature to disable links in replies could have a significant impact on how users interact with the platform. By preventing links from being included in replies, X can reduce spam and unwanted self-promotion, i.e. people using posts from users with larger followings to promote their own page or website.

However, it is crucial that the company strikes a balance to ensure that legitimate information can be shared, especially in contexts where fact-checking is essential to combating fake news. This is because such a shutdown could prevent people from posting links to legitimate sources in order to debunk false information posted on the platform.

Constant updates on X, formerly Twitter

Meanwhile, the platform seems to be gaining new features and approaches all the time. Nima Owji, who frequently discovers new features on the platform, previously revealed that the company was experimenting with an in-app currency aimed at helping creators earn money on the platform. This initiative comes months after a wave of impersonations on the site, which prompted the company to work on new identity verification features.

Additionally, Owji discovered that X was looking to compete with LinkedIn by offering job listings for verified organizations. It seems that the platform is really looking to stay competitive in the social media market.

Source: engadget