Instagram now asks bullies: 'Are you sure?

> Once a user has been restricted, their comments will appear only to themselves. Crucially, a restricted person will not know they have been restricted.

So if I have a friend look at the comments and they don't see mine, I know I'm restricted.

> "You can choose to make a restricted person’s comments visible to others by approving their comments,” Mr Mosseri explained.

So you're still reading the bullying comments?

> "Restricted people won’t be able to see when you’re active on Instagram or when you’ve read their direct messages.”

Maybe it would be a privacy move to just make that the default with everybody. Nobody needs to know when you're active on some website, or whether you've received or read the message they sent you.

I like the direction, but I doubt that they will have huge success. Yes, asking people to reconsider is good, but it only works for those that are not determined to bully. It's for the casual comment that wasn't meant to sound that aggressive, not for the stalking bully that wants to hurt their victim.