Facebook May Soon Let Users Ban Certain Words, Phrases, And Emoji

Facebook will soon allow users to block certain phrases, words, and emoji from their news feed, a new leak claims. The move would better equip users with the ability to eliminate abuse and negativity from their online social experience, and may help brands address spam comments. The system is allegedly designed so that impacted commenters wouldn't know their comment was blocked.

News of the feature surfaced from Jane Manchun Wong, who posted a screenshot of the alleged feature on Twitter. In it, we see a new box containing "Ban these Words," with the ability to ban comments containing the keywords. An information box also says that phrases and emoji can be banned.

Tip @Techmeme pic.twitter.com/9WpfDXEEu7

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

According to the screenshot, impacted Facebook users won't realize their content was banned because they will still see their own comment in the list. This will hopefully help prevent attempts to get around the ban by using alternative accounts, reducing the number of troublesome comments left on statuses.

The feature is said to apply to personal timelines, but it's easy to see how the feature could benefit Pages, as well. In addition to dealing with abusive content, this feature could also help deal with spam content by banning words that contain typical scammy verbiage.

Facebook hasn't officially released the feature and there's no indication of when it may go live. It's possible the feature will never arrive for users, as it may be a small test that is ultimately scrubbed. The move would follow a similar feature the company implemented on Instagram earlier this year, however, which likewise addresses online bullying.