Instagram Lets Users Filter Out Offensive Comments

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Looking to curb harassment and abuse, Instagram is now offering its users a way to filter out offensive comments.

Kevin Systrom, the social network's co-founder and CEO, explained the change in a letter to users on Monday.

"Over the past five years, I've watched in wonder as this community has grown to 500 million, with stories from every corner of the world. With this growth, we want to work diligently to maintain what has kept Instagram positive and safe, especially in the comments on your photos and videos," Systrom said.

"To empower each individual, we need to promote a culture where everyone feels safe to be themselves without criticism or harassment. It's not only my personal wish to do this, I believe it's also our responsibility as a company," the CEO went on to say.

The filter allows users to hide comments with offensive words. Users have the option to either use a list of words provided by Instagram or to create their own list of words to filter out.

Twitter is also reportedly working on a tool that would let users filter out tweets that could be harassing or offensive.

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• Instagram