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When users on X block someone, the blocked user will still be able to view their posts, but can’t interact with them.
Social media platform X’s recent decision to update its blocking feature has prompted criticism.
In a post on X yesterday (3 November), the platform formerly known as Twitter announced that it has started rolling out a controversial update, whereby even if you block an account, that account will be able to view your public posts.
The change was initially announced last month. “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 (like, reply, repost, etc.),” X posted on 16 October.
The platform’s owner Elon Musk has previously questioned the blocking feature on X, saying that blocking public posts “makes no sense.”
“It needs to be deprecated in favor of a stronger form of mute,” he said.
Although the blocked user is unable to interact with them, many users have expressed concerns regarding the potential ramifications the update could have.
One argument against the update claims that it could make it easier for stalkers, abusive ex-partners and others to continue harassing their targets.
Another argument against the change asserts that blocked users could attack their targets by screenshotting their posts and encouraging followers to harass them.
One user posted on the platform expressing their annoyance at the update because the point of blocking is to stop blocked users from seeing their posts, while another user said they don’t want to see content of users who have blocked them.
This is not the only controversial update the platform made last month. In an updated privacy policy, X said it may share user data with third party “collaborators” unless users opt out.
The policy includes a a paragraph on how X data can be used, stating that X may share or disclose a user’s information with third parties. If users don’t opt out, the recipients of X user data may use it for “their own independent purposes in addition to those stated in X’s privacy policy,” the policy now states, adding that it could be used to train their AI models.
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