Twitter Introduces Abuse-Blocking Filter

Twitter is introducing a new filter to block bullying and threatening messages from users' timelines.

But the new feature will only be available to verified users with a blue tick at first.

Verified users already have access to a feature called tailored filtering, which lets them see edited versions of their notifications from the people they chat to most often.

The new feature uses algorithms to detect threatening words and their context to decide whether to block them from a user's timeline.

The filter is only available on Twitter's app for Apple mobile devices.

Those using the app are presented with a message saying: "Quality filtering aims to remove all Tweets from your notifications timeline that contain threats, offensive or abusive language, duplicate content, or are sent from suspicious accounts."

The user then has the option to turn the feature on and off.

If the system works it is likely to be rolled out to all Twitter users within months.

Ordinary Twitter users have recently been given access to improved systems to report abuse on the social network, after chief executive Dick Costolo recently admitted the site had a problem .