【Dear Utol: Week 1 Highlights Episode 7】

OK,Dear Utol: Week 1 Highlights Episode 7 this time Twitter means it.

What has since May been the prerogative of a select few has finally trickled down to the social media plebs. As of Tuesday morning, every Twitter user has the power to dictate who can — and crucially, by extension, who can't — reply to their tweets.

For a brief moment last week it appeared Twitter had quietly made the feature available to everyone with an update to the iOS mobile app. But alas, it was not to be. The Verge confirmed that the release notes were pushed in error, and no new feature was immediately forthcoming.

Until today, that is.

The new settings, ostensibly targeted at ending the scourge that is reply guys, lets users drop their outgoing tweets into three different buckets. The first, and most familiar, is what many people have today: Anyone and everyone (who isn't blocked) can reply to a tweet. The second takes into consideration who the tweeter follows, as only that follow list can respond to a tweet. The third restriction makes it so only people tagged in the initial tweet can reply.

"Tweets with the latter two settings will be labeled and the reply icon will be grayed out for people who can't reply," Suzanne Xie, Twitter's director of product management, explained in a press release. "People who can't reply will still be able to view, Retweet, Retweet with Comment, share, and like these Tweets."

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

New Twitter reply options. Credit: Twitter New Twitter reply options. Credit: Twitter

While these new settings are framed as reducing possible harassment, they themselves are not without controversy. As the ACLU pointed out in May, public officials (like one Donald Trump) might use such a feature for ill.

"[Public] officials would be violating the First Amendment if they were to use this tool to block speakers on any accounts they've opened up for public conversation in their roles as government actors," read a statement from the organization at the time. "Nor should public officials use this tool to decide who can, or can't, reply to accounts they have opened up for requests for government assistance, which may be on the rise due to COVID-19."

In other words, what if Trump uses these settings to attack his political opponents while preventing them from replying?

SEE ALSO: Twitter's 'no replies' feature could cause problems for Trump

When reached for comment, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed that the new settings will be available to the president — along with everyone else. You'll be able to access them on iOS, Android, and twitter.com.

Notably, when asked about Trump perhaps abusing the settings, the spokesperson pointed to the "retweets with comments" timeline as a way that people will be still able to engage with tweets from those who have limited reply options.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

So don't worry, at least as things stand now, you'll always be able to quote tweet the end of civilization with something pithy.

Related Video: Elon Musk's worst tweets of all time (so far)

Topics Social Media X/Twitter

• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Life
• Tech
• Science
• Digital Culture
• Games

• Never Get Off The Boat
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for January 12
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for January 12
• Michelle Williams elaborates on Emmys equal pay comments
• Through the Eyes of Men
• It's not just you, Trump really is tweeting a lot more in 2019
• Hillary Clinton calls Trump a 'corrupt human tornado' on Twitter
• Apple banned his Hong Kong protest app from the App Store. Now he wants answers.
• A Brief, Cheesy Interlude
• Netflix's 'Kaleidoscope' episode orders aren't actually that random

• Lady Gaga threw an impromptu pizza party for fans after she was forced to cancel a show
• If you've ever felt the need to scream like Goku in a public place, now's your chance
• Dolce & Gabbana ad is here to prey on your Jon/Dany feelings
• Here's how the White House may be keeping Trump off the web
• Everything you need to know about using Instagram's archive feature
• Lenovo settles with the FTC over Superfish adware charges
• Hurricane hunters fly through the eye of Hurricane Irma
• You can now pay for fried chicken by just scanning your face
• Girl casually finds 'Excalibur' at the bottom of the same lake where it was hurled
• 15 GIFs that ALMOST ended in disaster

• Whale Vomit Episode 8
• #TrumpMeltdown catches on after a long day of yelling from the president
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for January 12
• Donald Trump tweeted a Nickelback meme and we should all just LOG OFF
• Sex, Lies, and Videotape
• Tim Cook might get huge pay cut in 2023
• 5 tech companies with official self
• Misinformation about women's bodies thrives online. Meet the doctor fighting it.
• Together for What?
• Comfort food in the age of self

• Reading like a Bureaucrat
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for January 10
• Sweary self
• The best moments of the 2023 Golden Globes
• The Longest Miles
• Dyson introduces air purifier that destroys formaldehyde
• Apple's MacBooks might finally get touchscreens
• Trump loses it over hyphens and apostrophes while avoiding his real problems
• The Arendt Center’s Dark Thinking
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 might fix the most annoying thing about foldable phones