Like most of her discoveries, Wong found the new feature through a test version that’s not available to the public. Based on the screenshot shared by her, users are given the option to disable mentions altogether or just leave it be via a toggle. Choosing the latter will present two additional options: allow for anyone to mention you, or limit it so that only people you follow are able to do so.
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 13, 2022 The introduction of this new approach will undoubtedly change how Twitter works. Ever since its launch, the platform has allowed anyone to mention others with the @ tag regardless of whether they follow one another’s account or not. While this ability has its usefulness, there have been plenty of instances where mentioning is used for spamming and other malicious purposes. Also not forgetting the notification spam from threads that can spawn from a single tweet that you’re tagged in. As you may recall, this wouldn’t be the first time Twitter has provided users with the ability to reduce unwanted mentions. Back in 2020, the platform launched a feature that lets you limit who can reply to your tweet, either to just those you follow or only the people you’ve mentioned. Meanwhile, Twitter Circle, a more recent addition that has been introduced to users this year, lets users tweet and reply to only a select group of people.
In a now-deleted reply to Wong’s tweet regarding her discovery, Twitter privacy designer Dominic Camozzi confirmed that the platform is indeed working on the ability to limit or block mentions. However, like most unannounced features, it is not known when this supposedly upcoming addition will be rolled out for testing, or to the public. (Source: Jane Machun Wong)
