Search icon

News

18th Oct 2024

X users baffled after they reveal major change to blocking feature

Charlie Herbert

The block feature won’t really block people anymore

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter back in 2022, it’s safe to say the platform has changed – a lot.

The Tesla CEO has implemented a number of drastic changes, such as an overhaul of the blue tick/verification system, the introduction of a premium subscription service and of course a complete brand change, renaming the app X and changing the iconic blue bird logo.

The latest big-brain idea from Musk has been to change the blocking system on X.

Previously, it was simple: if you blocked someone on Twitter/X, they couldn’t see any of your posts or engage with you in any way.

It did exactly what it said it would: it blocked them completely.

But Musk has decided this needs to change, it what is seemingly his latest move in turning X into a haven of toxicity and conflict.

People logging onto the app in recent days have been met with a message explaining how the block system is changing soon.

The message read: “If your posts are set to public, accounts you have blocked will be able to view them, but they will not be able to engage.”

A post on the official X Engineering account said: “Today, block can be used by users to share and hide harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked. Users will be able to see if such behaviour occurs with this update, allowing for greater transparency.”

The change has been met with widespread fury, with many arguing that by allowing a blocked person to still see the posts and content of the person who blocked them, the feature is basically pointless.

Critics have argued that the change will empower stalkers and harassers. Meanwhile others have pointed out that people will still be able to direct hate and abuse to others by simply screenshotting their posts and sharing that.

One X user wrote: “One of the biggest functions of blocking is giving women the ability to stop weird men from constantly making them uncomfortable and scared. So of course Elon had to change that.”

Another said: “Such a stupid thing. The purpose of blocking someone is for them not to see anything you post. Imagine a stalker still being able to see your posts. Who is making these decisions at X?”

Meanwhile, London’s victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman said the move is “catering to abusers and stalkers, indulging and facilitating their behaviours.”

But Musk claimed last month that it was “high time” the change came in, although offered no explanation as to why this was a feature that needed changing.