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X is x-ing out its block feature.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk tweeted<\/a> about the change on Friday in response to the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley account, which asked<\/a> if there\u2019s \u201cever a reason to block vs mute someone.\u201d Musk said he\u2019ll still allow blocking in DMs.<\/p>\n On Sunday, he tried to explain<\/a>: \u201cThe obvious move is to strengthen the mute function by making anything posted by the muted account invisible to you,\u201d claiming that \u201cboth mute and block are partly broken.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt should also be made easy to continue to follow an account, while blocking their ability to DM you,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Aqueel Miqdad, a software engineer at X, weighed in last week, tweeting<\/a> that the platform \u201ccan make mutes stronger, like not allow people you mute to reply or quote you. We can also transfer [your] block list to mute list.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said that \u201cpreventing an account from seeing your posts does not work in practice. Anyone with any intent can find out what you post by simply creating another account or logging out.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear if or when the change will happen. X did not respond to Marketing Brew\u2019s request for comment by publication.<\/p>\n Several people have pointed out that removing X\u2019s block feature will increase harassment and other harmful content on the platform. \u201cPlease rethink removing the block feature. As an anti-bullying activist (and target of harassment) I can assure you it\u2019s a critical tool to keep people safe online,\u201d Monica Lewinsky tweeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, some publications have noted that removing it would likely violate both the Apple App Store\u2019s and Google Play Store\u2019s policies. Both platforms require services that house user-generated content, like social media platforms, to offer block features.<\/p>\n As Variety\u2019s New York digital editor said over the weekend, \u201cthe idea appears to be that X could make the case to Apple and Google that an enhanced mute function (\u201csuper-mute\u201d?) is functionally equivalent<\/em> to user-blocking, and thus would bring it into compliance with the app stores\u2019 requirements on this front. Whether that will fly, of course, is unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n Removing the block feature would be the latest in a string of controversial moves at X. In July, amid Twitter\u2019s rebrand to X, it reinstated the account of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He\u2019d been locked out of the platform last year after posting a tweet that included a picture of a swastika.<\/p>\n The Musk-induced upheaval of the platform, coupled with his hiring of NBCUniversal\u2019s ad sales chief Linda Yaccarino as its CEO in this spring, has coincided with its struggles with advertisers. Musk said last month that X\u2019s ad revenue had plummeted 50%. Musk is also contending with the July debut of Meta\u2019s X competitor, Instagram Threads.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n