X/Twitter will soon be making further changes to the block button, with CEO Elon Musk confirming that from now on, all public posts will be viewable, even by blocked users.
Nima Ouji first reported the news, with Musk commenting, “It’s about time this happened. The block feature blocks the account from engaging with public posts, but doesn’t block them from viewing them.”
It’s about time this happened.
The block feature blocks the account from participating in public posts, but does not block them from viewing public posts.
โ Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 23, 2024
Users were quick to speculate about the meaning and motivations behind the change, with some suggesting it was X/Twitter’s way of ensuring everyone can see its ads, while others expressed concern that the change would make it harder than ever to avoid harassment on the platform.
Of course, Musk has a long history of disliking the block button. In 2023, Musk announced that blocking would be “removed as a feature” except for DMs, claiming that it “is pointless.” In response to a comment added by a user, he wrote, “Blocking is a basic safety feature that fundamentally protects victims of abuse and stalking. Removing this feature would make many people less safe on social media.”
For now, X/Twitter has stopped short of completely removing the ability to block users, but it continues to work on improving the feature. In May, X/Twitter announced that users would be able to see replies from blocked users if they replied to their posts. X/Twitter claimed this was part of the platform’s ongoing efforts to “align blocking with our principles as a public forum.”
Meanwhile, X/Twitter has implemented a number of changes since Musk’s acquisition in 2022, the biggest of which is completely transforming the verified checkmark into a subscription service. Recently, X/Twitter was banned in Brazil for not complying with a court order and paying existing fines, but was briefly back online after switching to Cloudflare.
Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? DM @the_katbot!