Twitter tweaks DM settings to reduce spam, including from verified users
In a tweak that will be implemented “as soon as July 14”, Twitter is finally moving to reduce spam that has been flooding user’s primary inboxes. The tweak majorly revolves around moving messages from verified users you don’t follow, to the “Message Requests” section. In a way, the platform is also accepting the spamming resulting from even verified accounts, and in large numbers.
Till now, ever since paid verification went live on Twitter, users have seen flooding of inboxes from spam messages, from a slew of such “verified accounts”. This was due to Twitter allowing messages from even verified accounts you don’t follow, landing in your primary inbox. With Instagram Threads covering a staggering 100 million users in mere 5 days of launch, Twitter is actively looking to bring about changes to make the platform more pre-Musk era kind.
“With the new setting enabled, messages from users who you follow will arrive in your primary inbox, and messages from verified users who you don’t follow will be sent to your message request inbox”, tweeted Twitter’s official support account.
Starting as soon as July 14th, we’re adding a new messages setting that should help reduce the number of spam messages in DMs. With the new setting enabled, messages from users who you follow will arrive in your primary inbox, and messages from verified users who you don’t follow…
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 13, 2023
While this is a welcome move, it clearly highlights yet another major defect in Twitter’s new, paid verification system. With blue badges now available for sale, even spam accounts, parody accounts etc. have been able to get access to the same, and using it to spam inboxes across Twitter. That would stop to some extent.
But with this new setting, genuine reach-outs, such as those by journalists etc., will also have to go through the same filter. Twitter’s moves of blanket policy restrictions across all aren’t having the effect that the platform has desired, which this new policy is a shining example of.
Twitter notes that if users still want to receive DMs from Verified users in their main inbox, they can manually switch back to that setting at any time after these changes are put into place.
