Slack introduced its private messaging feature to everyone on Wednesday and immediately faced backlash.
The big picture: The company now says it is removing the ability to record a message requesting a connection to prevent harassment and abuse.
Background: With “Slack Connect” you can request to send direct messages to anyone using the platform – even if you are not in the same company (although you will need their email address for the request).
- In the initial rollout, many users wondered what guardrails there were to protect them from unwanted messages and abuse, and some quickly found ways to send unpleasant communications with the feature.
What they say: “After we rolled out Slack Connect DMs this morning, we received valuable feedback from our users on how email invitations to use the feature could potentially be used to send offensive or intimidating messages,” said Jonathan Prince, vice president of communications and policy. from Slack in a statement.
- “We are taking immediate action to prevent this type of abuse, starting with removing the ability to customize a message when a user invites someone to Slack Connect DMs.”