Slack backtracks after 'DM anyone' feature set up users for harassment
The workplace messaging app Slack, which seeks to "reinvent work," did an about face Wednesday after users complained a new feature took a step toward reinventing harassment.
The latest addition to Slack Connect, announced Wednesday, aimed to "replace email outside your company" by letting users send direct messages to any Slack user, anywhere. There was just one, rather large problem with this lofty goal: Many Slack users didn't want to receive DMs from anyone, anywhere, and feared the new service included the potential for abuse.
After some consideration, it seems Slack agreed.
"After rolling out Slack Connect DMs this morning, we received valuable feedback from our users about how email invitations to use the feature could potentially be used to send abusive or harassing messages," Jonathan Prince, Slack's vice president of communications and policy, explained over email. "We are taking immediate steps to prevent this kind of abuse, beginning today with the removal of the ability to customize a message when a user invites someone to Slack Connect DMs." Read more...
More about Slack, Tech, and Other