Islamabad, Sep 24: The owner of social media site X (previously Twitter), Elon Musk, has revealed a big update to the blocking feature on the network.
Musk disclosed in a statement on Monday that although blocked users will remain unable to interact with an account, they will now be able to see the public postings made by accounts that have blocked them.
Currently, a user receives the notice “You’re blocked” when they try to see the profile of an account that has blocked them. Beyond only postings, this limitation also blocks access to replies, media material, and follower data.
X has defended this modification by stating that users get around blocks by accessing content while logged out or using different accounts. This justification, meanwhile, has come under scrutiny because X now prohibits logged-out users from reading profiles.
With significant ramifications for how users manage their online relationships and material visibility, this policy change has generated conversations about user privacy and control on the network.
Elon Musk has always voiced doubts regarding the blocking capability of the platform. Musk said that the block button “makes no sense” and called for “a stronger form of mute” to take its place in a statement from the previous year. He even suggested doing away with users’ capacity to block others only allowing direct messages to be sent.
Critics claim that this modification would make it possible for dishonest people to harass people in the future. The platform can unintentionally give persistent harassers a way to keep an eye on their targets even when they are unable to interact directly by permitting blocked users to read content from accounts that have blocked them.
