The idea is that this should prevent strangers sending you hateful messages; pings from people you don’t know are already filtered into a separate inbox, so this takes things one step further. [Read: 3 new technologies ecommerce brands can use to connect better with customers] Instagram noted that you’ll have the option to “turn both comment and DM request filters on and off in a new dedicated section of your Privacy Settings called Hidden Words.” This feature will operate with a list of predefined words, as well as those you add to the list. That’s cool, but it feels like something the company should have rolled out a long time ago — especially if it insists on continuing to allow strangers to message you in the first place. It’s 2021: I expect filters to be able to use AI to catch even veiled threats that don’t include a single offensive word (like, “Nice guitar you’ve got there, it’d be a shame if anything were to happen to it.”). But that’s a story for another time. The new filtering function will begin rolling out in the coming weeks to several countries; Instagram says it’ll likely take months to make it available more widely.
