What you must know
- X is revamping the block characteristic, permitting blocked customers to see public content material.
- The replace goals to repair a loophole that allow customers bypass blocks with alternate accounts, permitting them to nonetheless view and work together with content material.
- Blocked customers gained’t be capable to interact however can nonetheless lurk, leaving many feeling uneasy about potential harassment.
X (previously Twitter) is overhauling how the block characteristic works, with Elon Musk confirming that every one public content material can be viewable, even in the event you’ve blocked somebody, which may completely change how privateness and interactions work on the platform.
Unbiased app researcher Nima Owji was the primary to spill the information about X/Twitter’s upcoming block characteristic replace. Musk later corroborated it, saying it’s been a very long time coming.
Excessive time this occurred. The block perform will block that account from participating with, however not block seeing, public submit.September 23, 2024
An insider at X advised The Verge that the upcoming block characteristic replace is geared toward closing a loophole the place customers may bypass blocks by switching to a different account. This flaw let folks nonetheless view and work together with content material from accounts that had blocked them.
The information about X’s block characteristic change has sparked numerous buzz and hypothesis. Some assume it’s a transfer to make sure everybody nonetheless sees adverts, whereas others fear it may make dealing with harassment on the platform even tougher.
With respect, I believe it is a dangerous concept. There are various causes any person could not need sure people from simply seeing all their public posts. There are some REALLY dangerous actors on social media, sadly.September 23, 2024
That is as a result of whereas blocked customers on the platform can’t interact together with your posts, they’ll nonetheless get to lurk and watch. Unsurprisingly, folks aren’t thrilled and are already saying this might simply make harassment simpler.
To this point, X hasn’t totally ditched the block characteristic, however it retains altering the way it works. In Could, the corporate revealed that if somebody you’ve blocked replies to your submit, you’ll nonetheless be capable to see that reply. X stated this modification was important to maintain the block characteristic in keeping with its objective of being an open platform.
Musk hasn’t held again on his dislike for the block characteristic. Final yr, he tweeted that blocking folks “is not sensible” and advised muting as a substitute. Then, in August, he even hinted that the block possibility is likely to be getting the axe altogether.
By backtracking on its earlier promise to utterly scrap the block characteristic and as a substitute permitting it to nonetheless restrict engagement, X is making an attempt to play it secure. This shift goals to chop down on the stalking and harassment that may most likely explode if it simply removed blocking fully.
