Cancel Culture Insurance: Twitter Will Let You Hide Old Tweets

Social media giant Twitter reportedly plans to introduce a number of new privacy-related features, including one that would allow users to hide their old tweets. Twitter’s privacy changes come on the heels of the increasingly common scenario in which a user of the platform is canceled for posts made up to a decade ago on the platform.

MacRumors reports that Twitter is introducing new privacy-related features to its platform that will give users greater control over their follower lists and who can see their profile. One option planned for the platform is a feature that allows users to archive old tweets so that other users are unable to see them after a period of time set by the account holder.

Jack Dorsey and Twitter employees

CANNES, FRANCE – JUNE 21: Co-chair / founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey attends the ‘ #SheInspiresMe: Twitter celebrates female voices & visionaries ‘ Event at Cannes Lions on June 21, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images for Twitter)

The new features are reportedly part of the platform’s efforts to make users more comfortable and secure sharing content on the platform. The privacy initiatives are related to what Jack Dorsey’s company calls “social privacy,” which includes how users manage their online identities and public image.

According to research conducted by Twitter, the company found that many of the users on its platform don’t understand the current privacy options offered by Twitter. This includes basic options such as whether their account was private or public, and what actions cause them to engage less on Twitter as they don’t know what other people will be able to see them do and say.

In September Twitter will begin prompting users to review certain privacy features like if they want their account to be public or private. Twitter’s privacy team also plans to work on other potential changes such as the ability to remove followers, hide liked tweets, and opt-out of a public discussion.

Twitter users will begin rolling out the “remove followers” feature this month, and users will be allowed to remove themselves from public discussions by the end of the year. The tweet archive option is still currently in a “concept phase.”