Facebook could allow users block comments with selected words or phrases from their timeline

According to a look at an in development feature, Facebook are apparently considering allowing users to block comments that contain specified selected words, phrases, or emoji appearing in their timeline.

The look at the feature, which would help Facebook to address concerns related to online bullying and harassment, was shared as a screen grabbed by Jane Wong on Twitter. The screenshot shows the feature is very much still in the development stage, but would allow Facebook users to select specified words, strings of words, and even emoji that the users no longer wants to see in their comments or timeline, similar to the Twitter ‘Mute’ feature.

Facebook is working on letting users to ban words/phrases/emojis from showing up on their personal timelines

Tip @Techmeme pic.twitter.com/9WpfDXEEu7

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 27, 2018

Any comments containing the selected words, strings of words or emoji’s will still show up for the people who posted them and their friends, however won’t be seen by others. This implementation will offset anyone using terms that a user finds offensive from attempting more extreme methods of circumventing moderation as they will believe their comment has been posted.

The feature is still in development and is yet to be announced by Facebook let alone begun rolling out. Such a feature would be a welcome move to try to and stamp out the rise in online abuse, bullying and harassment, and spin some positive PR for Facebook, something they’re in dire need of at the moment in the wake of multiple privacy scandals.