Twitter rolled out its downvote feature globally to continue testing whether or not to make the dislike button a permanent feature of the microblogging site LONDON: Twitter rolled out its downvote feature globally to continue testing whether or not to make the dislike button a permanent feature of the microblogging site. “Some of you on iOS may see different options to up or down vote on replies. We’re testing this to understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can work on ways to show more of them,” the company said in a statement issued through a tweet. So far, results of the testing rollout found that users downvoted replies they found offensive or irrelevant, the company stated. “We learned a lot about the types of replies you don’t find relevant and we’re expanding this test –– more of you on web and soon iOS and Android will have the option to use reply downvoting. “They’ll help inform us of the content people want to see.” The company stated that the number of downvotes per tweet will not be public information and that the authors of a downvoted tweet would not be able to see who or how many have done so. The social networking site has been hit by a number of controversies over the past years, most notably when it permanently banned former US President Donald Trump from its platform following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Other leaders have also used the platform to push extremist rhetoric or fake news. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once tweeted: “Importing vaccines made in the US or the UK is prohibited. They’re completely untrustworthy. It’s not unlikely they would want to contaminate other nations. Given our experience with France’s HIV-tainted blood supplies, French vaccines aren’t trustworthy either.” The tweet was later deleted, but Khamenei’s account in Farsi, English, French, Spanish and other languages remain active and tweeting. Despite Twitter’s updated policy on hate speech, which clearly states that users must “not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin,” accounts that do just that are still present on the platform. Accounts in the Arab world, such as those of exiled Egyptian cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and terrorist-designated Qais Al-Khazali — both of whom have featured in Arab News’ Preachers of Hate series — remain active. “Throughout history, God has imposed upon them (the Jews) people who would punish them for their corruption,” Al-Qaradawi said in one of many hate-filled fatwas. “The last punishment was that of Hitler. This was a divine punishment for them. Next time, God willing, it will be done at the hands of the faithful believers,” he added. Meanwhile, Twitter states that people who have tested downvoting agree it improves the quality of conversations on the platform, however it remains to be seen how impactful it will be.