After renaming the iconic website, Elon Musk may have yet another controversial decision for X (formerly known as Twitter). In a recent post, the new owner said the platform would heavily modify the block function because “it makes no sense”. It would now disallow DMs (direct messages) but not prevent the blocked user from seeing posts (formerly known as Tweets). This isn’t much of a deterrent, more so with recent changes to DMs, where one needs to be subscribed to X Premium to reach out to people who don’t follow you back.
A Community Notes entry posted shortly afterwards said removing the block feature goes against the Android and iOS policies, potentially setting up to be delisted from both platforms. Former CEO Jack Dorsey agreed with the sentiment, encouraging users to rely on the mute function instead. Understandably, the move was met with quite a bit of user backlash.
Linda Yaccarino, the current CEO of X, attempted to diffuse the situation by stating that a “better version” of block/mute is in the works and that the company is “open to feedback” about it. Aqueel Miqdad, a product development engineer at X, went as far as to say that preventing users from seeing your profile/posts “simply does not work” and that bad actors can “simply create another account.” Their solution to the problem is to create a “stronger” version of mute, which will disallow muted parties from replying/quoting.
The future of X’s block function seems to be uncertain. Whether or not the company will go through with the proposed changes remains to be seen. Many figures have voiced their discontent against it, and this could lead to yet another exodus to alternative platforms such as Bluesky and Threads. The only sliver of hope here is Google and Apple, whose policies may force X to reconsider this poorly thought-out idea.
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I’ve been an avid PC gamer since the age of 8. My passion for gaming eventually pushed me towards general tech, and I got my first writing gig at the age of 19. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and have worked in the manufacturing industry and a few other publications like Wccftech before joining Notebookcheck in November 2019. I cover a variety of topics including smartphones, gaming, and computer hardware.
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