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Any Twitter User Can Now Direct Message You Thanks To A New Policy

by Gillian Fuller

Another day, another way for creepers to harass you on social media.

Just kidding -- although Twitter's newest feature may come with that side effect.

As of Monday, all Twitter users now have the option to receive direct messages from any user on the site. This function is an upgrade on the previous direct message system, which only allowed for communication between followers and followees.

Users can opt into the open direct message plan by heading to their “Security and Privacy Settings” page and selecting “Receive Direct Messages From Anyone.”

Those who enable the feature will see a new direct message icon on their profile page and on the pages of those who have also enabled the setting.

This feature was initially introduced in 2013, but it was limited to a small group of users as a test run. Now, it's an option available for the social media site's 288 million monthly users.

Ladies: Prepare for the onslaught of unsolicited dick pics.

This is the latest in a series of tweaks and upgrades for the social media site as it strives to reach its “strictly hypothetical” goal of $14 billion in annual revenue within the next 10 years.

Citations: Twitter Introduces Controversial Messaging Feature (Forbes), Twitter now lets you receive direct messages from any user (Mashable)