Reporting abusive behavior

Twitter strives to provide an environment where people can feel free to express themselves. If abusive behavior happens, we want to make it easy for people to report it to us. Multiple Tweets can be included in the same report, helping us gain better context, while investigating the issues to get them resolved faster.

• How do I file a report that someone is abusive via Tweets or Direct Messages?
• What should I do if I receive a violent threat?
• What happens after I submit a report?
• Why can’t Twitter block an account from making new accounts?
• Can Twitter give me another account’s information?

How do I file a report that someone is abusive via Tweets or Direct Messages?

Anyone can report abusive behavior directly from a Tweet, profile, or Direct Message.

To report a Tweet:

1. Navigate to the Tweet you’d like to report on twitter.com or from the Twitter for iOS or Android app.
2. Click or tap the  icon.
3. Select Report.
4. Select It’s abusive or harmful.
5. Next, we’ll ask you to provide more information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select additional Tweets from the account you’re reporting so we have better context to evaluate your report.
6. Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.

To report an account:

1. Go to the account profile and click or tap the gear icon  (iOS), or tap the overflow icon  (on twitter.com and Android).
2. Select Report.
3. Select They’re being abusive or harmful.
4. Next, we’ll ask you to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select Tweets from that account so we have better context to evaluate your report.
5. Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.

To report an individual message or conversation using the Twitter for iOS app:

1. Tap the Direct Message conversation and find the message you’d like to report.
2. Tap and hold the message. Select Report message from the pop-up menu. (To report the entire conversation, tap on the more icon  then select Report conversation.)
3. If you select It's abusive or harmful, we’ll ask you to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select additional messages from the account you’re reporting so we have better context to evaluate your report.
4. Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.
   Note: Additionally, you have the option of reporting a conversation from a group message.

To report an individual message or conversation using the Android app:

1. Tap the Direct Message conversation and find the message you’d like to report.
2. Tap and hold the message. Select Report message from the pop-up menu. (To report the entire conversation, tap on the overflow icon  then select Report conversation.)
3. If you select It's abusive or harmful, we’ll ask you to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select additional messages from the account you’re reporting so we have better context to evaluate your report.
4. Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.
   Note: Additionally, you have the option of reporting a conversation from a group message. 

To report an individual message or conversation via twitter.com:

1. Click into the Direct Message conversation and find the message you’d like to report. (To report the entire conversation, click the more icon  )
2. Hover over the message and click the report icon  when it appears.
3. Select Report @username.
4. If you select It's abusive or harmful, we’ll ask you to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select additional messages from the account you’re reporting so we have better context to evaluate your report.
5. Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.
   Note: Additionally, you have the option of reporting a conversation from a group message.

You can also report abusive Tweet behavior here.

What should I do if I receive a violent threat?

You can report Tweets, profiles, or Direct Messages directly to us (see above). Twitter may take action on the threatening Tweet, Direct Message, and/or the responsible account.

However, if someone has Tweeted or messaged a violent threat that you feel is credible or you fear for your own or someone else’s physical safety, you may want to contact your local law enforcement agency. They can accurately assess the validity of the threat, investigate the source of the threat, and respond to concerns about physical safety. If contacted by law enforcement directly, we can work with them and provide the necessary information for their investigation of the threat. For Tweet reports only: You can get your own copy of your report of a violent threat to share with law enforcement by clicking Email report on the We have received your report screen.

What happens after I submit a report?

After you submit a report, you will see a confirmation message from us alerting you that we received your report (it may take up to 24 hours before you see a message). We will review the reported account and/or Tweet(s), and/or Direct Message(s). If we determine that the account, and/or Tweet(s), and/or Direct Message(s) are in violation of our policies, we will take action (ranging from a warning to permanently suspending the account). You will receive a follow up from us if we need more information from you, or when we take action on the reported account, and/or Tweet(s), and/or Direct Message(s).

Why can’t Twitter block an account from making new accounts?

IP blocking is generally ineffective at stopping unwanted behavior, and may falsely prevent legitimate accounts from accessing our service.

IP addresses are commonly shared by many accounts in a variety of locations, meaning that blocking a single IP may prevent a large number of unconnected accounts from logging in to Twitter. In addition, IP addresses are easy to change and blocks can be easily circumvented by logging in from a different location, a third-party service, or one of many free websites or applications.

Can Twitter give me another account’s information?

Per our Privacy Policy, Twitter does not release account information except as required by valid legal process. If you are working with the police or your lawyer, they will be able to help you with the appropriate and correct legal process for obtaining such information. If Twitter is contacted directly by law enforcement, we can work with them and provide assistance for their investigation. You can point law enforcement officials to our Guidelines for Law Enforcement.