Other users will still be able to access the responses by clicking a button. Only users in Canada—where the feature is being piloted—will be able to hide replies, but the results apply in the feeds of followers around the world. Michele Austin, head of public policy for Twitter Canada, tweeted that the feature allows users to hide responses so they “don’t distract from the conversation you want to have.” (The Logic)

Talking point: The new feature could also be used by politicians to hide dissenting responses to campaign posts or announcements during the upcoming federal election. Citizens have raised censorship concerns when elected officials have controlled access to their tweets in the past. On Tuesday, a U.S. court ruled that President Donald Trump violated the country’s constitution by blocking some Twitter users. In Canada, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was served a court order in October 2018 by three citizens claiming that he infringed on their constitutional right to free expression by blocking them. Watson eventually settled that case in November that year by promising to unblock the three citizens.