Open Letter: A Call for a Safer Digital World - A Unified Approach to Blocking Abuse Across Platforms
To all those who have ever felt powerless in the face of online abuse,
Imagine this: You’re trying to remove someone toxic from your life—someone who’s harassed, hurt, or violated your trust in ways that cut deeply. You block them on one app, feeling a momentary sigh of relief, only to open another app and see another message, another friend request, another reminder that they’re just a tap away. You repeat the blocking process on app after app, but they always find a way back, slipping through the cracks in our digital defenses.
It’s a cycle far too many of us know all too well, a pattern that today’s technology isn’t built to break. When we want someone out of our lives, we can lock the doors, change the locks, or even move houses. But in the digital world? It’s an exhausting game of Whac-A-Mole, bouncing from platform to platform, wondering if you’ll ever truly be free. Right now, blocking someone on WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram is just the beginning of an endless process.
The truth is, social media apps and communication tools have never fully accounted for what happens when someone doesn’t respect boundaries or when a person wants—and deserves—complete protection. Blocking someone on one app does nothing to keep them from creating a new account, bypassing that block, or reaching you in another way. It’s a patchwork of defences that ultimately fails the people who need it the most.
This letter is a call for something different, something better: a unified, device-based blocking system that allows all apps to communicate in the language of respect and safety.
A New Standard for a Safer Digital World
What if, instead of endlessly chasing blocks across multiple platforms, we had a tool that could block at the device level? Every smartphone, tablet, and computer has a unique device ID—a digital fingerprint that can distinguish it from any other device on earth. Imagine if, by choosing to block someone, you could effectively “lock out” their device from ever contacting you again, across all platforms. With a system like this, your safety becomes the standard, not an afterthought.
Here’s how it would work:
Unified Device-Level Blocking: When you block someone, it isn’t limited to just one app. That block follows their device. WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and more would recognise this block, creating a virtual barrier that says, “This person does not want to be contacted.” It’s like setting up a fence that’s recognised everywhere, not just on one piece of land.
Protection Against Loopholes: Right now, blocking someone feels like placing sandbags on a river’s edge, hoping it won’t overflow. Even after blocking, there’s nothing stopping an abusive person from creating a new account, using another platform, or simply finding a way around the block. But with a device-based system, the message is clear: this individual, on this device, can’t cross the line.
An Opt-In for Every App: This would be an opt-in system, allowing each app to participate voluntarily. Platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram could choose to integrate this device-blocking protocol, giving their users a true sense of control and peace. And for those apps that do participate? They would be the leaders in digital safety, setting a new benchmark for what it means to truly protect users.
Why Now? Because We Deserve Better
People everywhere—especially those who’ve experienced harassment or abuse—deserve better protection. Every day, people across the world are confronted by someone they’d rather not hear from, and our current tools fall painfully short. A device-based blocking system could mark a radical shift in how we think about online safety, finally putting power back in the hands of those who need it most.
While privacy is essential, it shouldn’t come at the cost of personal safety. Just as we wouldn’t accept a lock that only works half the time, we shouldn’t settle for platforms that only block someone on their own turf. Every major social media platform and communication tool has the technology to make this happen. All we need is the will to protect users across the board.
Addressing Privacy and Consent
Now, you may be wondering—would this system be fair? Would it protect our rights while still respecting personal boundaries? The answer lies in the structure. By making this an opt-in service, we allow each user and app to make their own choice. This way, blocking remains a personal decision, and there’s no forced participation. Users who want to use device-based blocking can choose apps that provide it, creating an ecosystem of shared accountability and safety without compromising privacy.
Imagine the peace of mind this system would bring. Knowing that a block means a block. Knowing that once you’ve set your boundaries, they’ll be upheld across the digital world—not just in one corner of it.
A Call to Tech Innovators
To the tech leaders, developers, and app creators: I urge you to make this vision a reality. The infrastructure exists, the technology is feasible, and the demand is there. By introducing device-based blocking, you’d be giving people something invaluable—a real sense of security in their digital lives.
This is not just an idea but a blueprint for a safer, more humane digital world. And it starts with a single commitment: to stand with those who need it most. To say, loud and clear, that your platform is one where safety and dignity matter above all.
To everyone who’s been left vulnerable by our fractured approach to online safety, I see you. And to those who can make this vision a reality, I ask you to act. Together, we can make the digital world a place of true protection, one where a block is more than a temporary fix but a permanent choice respected everywhere.
We deserve this. It’s time.
Signed, Mark Darling