Elon Musk says users on X, formerly Twitter, will lose ability to block unwanted followers, eliminating key safety feature

Users of X, previously referred to as Twitter, will now not have the ability to block feedback from undesirable followers, in line with a publish by X proprietor Elon Musk on Friday, eliminating what’s lengthy been considered as a key security function. Blocking will solely be accessible for direct messages, he stated.

“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” Musk wrote Friday. He was responding to a publish from the account of Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, asking, “Is there ever a reason to block vs mute someone?” The group behind that account promotes the electrical automotive firm, the place Musk is CEO.

Since buying Twitter final 12 months for $44 billion, Musk has overhauled the corporate, shedding many staff, reinstating beforehand banned accounts and lately rebranding the corporate and platform as X. He did not present a motive or a time-frame for eliminating the block perform, solely saying in a follow-up response that “it makes no sense” and that the mute perform will nonetheless be accessible.

Users have been ready to make use of the block perform to make it possible for hateful content material and harassment does not present up of their feed in response to their posts. The mute function simply retains the person person from seeing the undesired responses, however does not get rid of them from others’ feeds.

Twitter customers have additionally lengthy employed the block function in boycotts and to keep away from seeing adverts from particular manufacturers or promoters on the platform.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, an investor within the new Twitter alongside Musk, stated in a publish that the corporate ought to focus its consideration elsewhere.

“X should really solve the bots & spam problems before removing blocks,” wrote Zhao, whose firm owns one of many world’s largest crypto exchanges. “Just my 0.02.”

Louis Jones, a longtime media and promoting government who now works on the Brand Safety Institute, stated Musk’s newest plan could be very regarding as customers might be inundated with spam, threats and different dangerous content material.

Musk’s “lax approach to free speech,” is more likely to have a “double effect,” making bullying extra widespread on the platform and inhibiting free speech by these customers who’re targets of bullies and predators, Jones wrote in an e mail to CNBC. “It’s a downward spiral that cannot be good for the long term success of X.”

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

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