London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

Twitter tests 'soft block' feature to subtly remove unwanted followers

Twitter tests 'soft block' feature to subtly remove unwanted followers

The new feature comes after an anti-harassment "safety mode" was announced earlier this month.

Twitter is testing a new privacy feature that enables users to remove followers without having to resort to blocking them.

The feature, which the company says makes it "easier to be the curator of your own followers list," replicates the "soft block" technique employed by many Twitter users, which involves blocking and then immediately unblocking another person.

Twitter users included in the web-only test of the new feature will be able to remove followers by clicking on the menu next to an account's name in their followers list.

The feature currenctly being trialled allows users to remove followers without blocking


The test follows the announcement last week of a so-called "Safety Mode'' aimed at combating harassment on Twitter. According to the company, the trial mode will autoblock accounts using "insults or hateful remarks" as well as those sending "repetitive and uninvited" replies or mentions.

Soft block


The new "soft block" being trialled by Twitter follows a long line of other features, like retweets, @-replies and hashtags, that were first developed by users of the social platform.

Soft blocking currently involves blocking and then immediately unblocking an account. The end result is that the account no longer follows a user, but in a less dramatic way than blocking them outright.

To see a user's tweets the soft blocked account would have to re-follow them, a process that requires granting permission if using protected tweets (ie, tweets that can only be seen by approved followers).

The social platform also appears to have more privacy developments in the works, as Bloomberg reported earlier this month.


Last week, Twitter's conversational safety product lead Christine Su tweeted to ask her followers what a possible new privacy feature similar to Instagram's "close friends" should be called.

The "close friends" toggle on Instagram allows a user to limit posts to a pre-selected list of accounts, enabling them to control who sees particular posts without having to block other people or juggle multiple accounts.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
×