The workplace messaging app, Slack stated that the company was working to fix an error in the direct-messaging new feature it launched earlier on Wednesday, which could have led to online harassment.
The feature allowed users to send direct messages to any person inside or outside of their respective companies through Slack Connect. Users of Slack could send an invite to any individual and begin texting as soon as it is accepted, the company informed in a blog post.
After launching the feature, Slack got feedback from users about how various email invitations to use the feature could possibly be utilized to send offensive or harassing text, Jonathan Prince, vice president of communications and policy at Slack, responded in a statement.
“We made a mistake in this initial roll-out,” Prince added.
The organization, which is being procured by Salesforce stated that it would be withdrawing the ability to customize a note when a user requests someone to Slack Connect direct messages to discuss the issue.
Read more: Slack rolls out a new feature to enable sending direct message outside the organization
The overall concern, first proposed by Twitter employee Menotti Minutillo, was that the new option did not have strong opt-out protections for respective users and no means to efficiently prevent people from spamming the users with email invites.
This notion seems favorable for someone having the intentions to bother you, as now they have your email address, can easily just send you a harassing email. As business organizations globally started to work from home due to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, demand for services offered by Slack and Microsoft’s Teams has attained traction as offices host meetings remotely.
Moreover, the company announced on Wednesday that it plans to soon expand the direct message invitations feature to all teams present currently, including those registered on free subscriptions.
