September 24, 2024 | 2:31 PM
READING TIME: 2 minutes
Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has announced plans to change the blocking feature on the platform. Under the new rules, blocked users will still be able to view the profiles of those who have blocked them, they just won’t be able to interact with them in any way. The news has sparked a wave of concern among users, including those who have faced stalking and online harassment. Musk says the change is because blocked users can still view the posts of those who have blocked them by simply logging out or using a different account. Therefore, he says the current blocking feature isn’t effective in protecting users from harassment.
This happened a long time ago.
The block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public posts.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 23, 2024
However, many users have expressed concern about the potential privacy implications of this change. The possibility that stalkers could continue to view their victims’ profiles, even after being blocked, could make X a more hostile and dangerous environment. This is just the latest in a series of controversial changes Musk has made to the platform since he acquired it in October 2022, including changing its original name, Twitter. One of his first actions, in addition to reinstating Donald Trump, was to reinstate thousands of previously banned accounts, including those of far-right activists and white supremacists, such as Andrew Anglin, founder of The Daily Stormer.