I heard from a former colleague that they’d been ‘autoblocked’ on Twitter for responding snarkily to someone. I don’t have an account there any more, so had to look up what they meant.

This kind of algorithmic blocking is the exact opposite of what you’d want from a platform that genuinely cared about human, community-focused interaction. We need to avoid this kind of approach with the Bonfire Zappa project.

It’s the unaccountability of it that gets me. The algorithm is a black box.

Twitter is currently experimenting with a feature called Safety Mode that detects and blocks potentially harmful language or repetitive, unwelcome interactions.

Some things to know about autoblock

  • Autoblocks come from Twitter, not individuals.
  • Autoblocks last for 7 days, but can be undone by the account owner at any time.
  • There’s no limit to how long someone stays in Safety Mode.
  • Just like when someone blocks you, if you’re autoblocked, it won't be possible to interact with them, see their Tweets, follow them, or send them Direct Messages.
  • Existing replies from autoblocked accounts move to the bottom of the conversation.
Source: About autoblock by Twitter