Slack Reverses Course on Feature That Could Be Used To Harass

Slack rolled out a new feature Wednesday designed to build out its email replacement service called Slack Connect, but had to backtrack almost immediately after backlash over its potential for abuse. From a report: The new Slack Connect DM (direct messaging) functionality allowed paid subscribers to invite any other Slack user to a private conversation, accompanying their invite with a customizable message. The problem that many pointed out on social media was that those messages could be used to direct harassment at strangers online, without an easy option to block them because the invites come from a generic Slack address. The company reversed course by disabling the custom invite option and said it's heeding the feedback it has received and is committed to fixing the issue.

outsourced QA

[algaeman]

This is a always a problem with QA. Your testers are generally not going to be the sort of malicious a$$holes that will abuse other users. Need to hire more Americans to get that sort of testing.

Re:

[antdude]

And companies need to bring back QA. Some companies don't even have their own QA testers. :(

Easy to block

[nagora]

"without an easy option to block them"

Other than not using Slack, you mean? That's so easy I already do it and so does literally everyone I know.

Negligible

[jon3k]

This required a paid account, you could send a nasty invite message. Which would then promptly be reported and you would be fired and/or have your account shutdown. Seems like there will be approximately zero misuses of this and it is still a billion times easier, and free, to go make an email account to harass someone. Seems really overblown to me.

Re:

[im_thatoneguy]

You could create a free account take the free 30 day trial and then not renew.

Stop breaking the Web, Slack!

[dwater]

It pisses me off when they keep trying to force their native app when I try to use their web app on android. The native app is NOT available on all android phones and the web app is mostly serviceable, IF they wouldn't keep breaking it. They do have the usual "keep using the web" but it often doesn't work and just keeps going back to the same "install the native app" page.
Arrogance that makes me tend to not bother using slack at all, tbh.

Spoof your User-Agent and screen resolution

[bd580slashdot]

Spoof your User-Agent and screen resolution?