Twitter Update Lets Anyone Send You a Private Message

— -- Twitter is making it even easier for strangers to talk privately on the social network.

A new update enabled today allows users to send direct messages to anyone, regardless if the sender and the recipient are following each other.

The new feature is on an opt-in basis. In order to allow private messages from anyone, log into your Twitter account and visit the "privacy and settings" page. Scroll down, check the box that says "Receive Direct Messages from anyone" and click "save changes."

Users who don't want to receive a private message from a particular person can block them or simply unfollow them and delete the conversation, according to a Twitter blog post about the changes.

"We're rolling out these changes starting today to all users around the world," the company said in a blog post. "And we have lots more in the works to improve Direct Messages on Twitter, so that the private side of Twitter is just as fulfilling as the public side."