X
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The reading
Elon Musk has announced he will remove the blocking feature from accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Musk, who is the owner of X, said users would no longer be able to block comments from unwanted followers. Under the new policy, X users will be unable to restrict individual accounts from contacting them, following them or seeing their posts. However, people will still be able to block direct messages. Musk wrote on Friday: "Block is going to be deleted as a 'feature,' except for DMs." He added that being allowed to block other people's comments "makes no sense". The change would be the latest in Musk's overhaul of his platform. Others include the name and logo change and layoffs of employees.
Many X users are up in arms over Mr Musk's latest proposal. They believe the block function is essential to keep people safe and to prevent hateful content and harassment from appearing in their feeds. Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of the crypto-currency company Binance, said Musk should concentrate his efforts on making X safer and easier to use. He said: "X should really solve the bots and spam problems before removing blocks." Another critic said the lack of a blocking feature could make bullying more common. He said it could inhibit the free speech of users who are the targets of bullies and predators. Another observer said people, "need a mechanism to block abusive users".
Sources:
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/18/elon-musk-says-x-users-will-be-losing-the-ability-to-block-content-.html
- https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/18/23837494/elon-musk-twitter-x-remove-blocking
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/08/18/musk-ends-block-feature-on-x-in-latest-twitter-change-up
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