Twitter is letting you remove followers without blocking them

Twitter’s “social privacy” features could save you from the wrath of the internet… maybe.

Update, Sept 7 (8:13 p.m. ET): Twitter starts testing the ability to edit the follow list

What you need to know

• Twitter is reportedly working on a set of new privacy features.
• Users may be able to edit their follower list, hide liked tweets, and remove themselves from conversations.
• Twitter may allow users to hide old tweets after a set amount of time.

Twitter is reportedly working on a set of new privacy features that will allow users to better manage their online presence on the social media site. The new “social privacy” features are meant to make people more comfortable engaging on Twitter.

According to Bloomberg, Twitter is currently considering several features that users may find very helpful when navigating the site. One big one includes hiding old tweets from other users after a set amount of time. This could be anywhere from 30, 60, or 90 days, and tweets would be archived away from users but still visible to the account holder.

There are some unofficial ways to quickly delete all your tweets if you want, but this would be a more direct way to achieve a similar feat.

This could be a handy feature for many users, as Twitter users are notorious for digging up old tweets as part of “cancel culture.” Being able to hide old tweets could potentially save some users from being called out later on. That said, the internet rarely forgets, and there are plenty of ways to dig up dirt on someone.

Twitter is also considering letting users edit their follow list and stop individual users from following them, instead of just blocking them, a feature that has been available on Instagram for some time. According to Bloomberg, Twitter plans to test the feature as early as this month.

Other features include hiding liked posts by allowing only certain users to see which tweets you’ve liked and the ability to remove one’s self from a conversation, which is a feature that has been spotted before and will apparently reach testing before the end of the year.

Twitter has been on a crusade trying to find ways to get users to engage more with the site, especially after the failure of Fleets. Bringing new features such as those in development may help make users more comfortable tweeting more if they have more control over the experience.

We’ve reached out to Twitter for additional information on these features but did not receive a response in time for publication. However, a company spokesperson provided a statement with The Verge, stressing the importance of privacy and allowing users to feel safe and in control of their social presence:

We understand that there’s no one size fits all approach to privacy, so we’re excited to roll out more features and tools to empower people on Twitter to customize their experience.

Our focus on social privacy is inspired by feedback we received through a global research study we conducted to better understand people’s perceptions of and needs for privacy around the globe.

We’ll begin testing some of these features as soon as next week.

The news comes just after the launch of Super Follows and a new Safety Mode feature that the site is testing, which lets users temporarily block others for unwanted interactions. Super Follows is currently available for iOS devices but will soon come to the best Android phones, while Safety Mode is still under development and not yet fully available.

Update, Sept 7 (8:13 p.m. ET) ― Twitter lets some users remove followers

Twitter has begun publicly testing one of the aforementioned features, which allows users to edit their follow list and remove people they no longer want following them.

In order to remove someone, you must access the “Followers” list and click the three-dot menu next to the “Follow” button. From there, you can access several options, including removing individual users from your follow list so your tweets will no longer show up in their feed.

We’re making it easier to be the curator of your own followers list. Now testing on web: remove a follower without blocking them.

To remove a follower, go to your profile and click “Followers”, then click the three dot icon and select “Remove this follower”. pic.twitter.com/2Ig7Mp8Tnx

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 7, 2021

The feature is rolling out to users on the web version of Twitter.