'Limits' to be introduced in Instagram to check targeted harassment

San Francisco: Facebook-owned Instagram is now testing a new feature called "Limits" which will allow users to lock their accounts and check any potential interactions when they feel they're the target of harassment.

Explaining the motive of the new step, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, was quoted as saying by Engadget on Thursday that Instagram plans to try to reduce hate speech to "as close to zero as we possibly can".

Mosseri also added "Racism and hate speech has no place on Instagram."

However, knowing that it will likely be impossible to completely eradicate all forms of racism from the app, the company also plans to give people new tools that will allow them "to take some power back".

That's where 'Limits' fits in, the report said.

"We know that people sometimes are in temporary moments of real risk and pain, and we need to give them tools to protect," Mosseri said of the feature.

Ahead of wide rollout, Instagram is currently testing Limits in select countries across the world.

In the meantime, Mosseri promised the company would have more to share on how it plans to tackle racism on Instagram in the coming months.