Twitter launches 'tweet abuse' feature following Jane Austen campaigner rape row

Microblogging site Twitter has reportedly launched a feature that allows users to report about ‘tweet abuse’ following the recent incident in which a feminist activist Caroline Criado-Perez campaigning for a woman to replace Charles Darwin on the new 10 pound note was faced with tweet threats of rape and murder.

According to the Guardian, Twitter in its blog titled ‘we hear you’ has reportedly claimed that it is aware of the way certain people misuse the platform for sending abusive tweets to other users and the site is in the process of exploring easier ways to report abuse.

The site has therefore updated its iPhone app and mobile version to allow reporting of individual tweets, which will be further expanded to the Android and desktop versions soon.

Twitter’s director of trust and safety Del Harvey said that majority of the 400 million tweets sent every day are positive, and embedded into the fabric of traditional and digital media yet the site is not blind to the reality that there will always be people using Twitter in ways that are abusive and may harm others.

Harvey further said that feedback from users; advocacy groups and government officials always plays an important role in the development of their service to protect individual rights.

Lawmakers and police officers have equally called in for Twitter to improve reporting tools to deal with abuse, as well as doing more to deter and block unacceptable behaviour, the report added.