The latest change to Twitter/X appears to be the removal of the Block function, which allows users to prevent others from seeing their posts and content.
In a new reply, X – formerly known as Twitter – owner Elon Musk says that the team will be removing the ability to block people. He claims that the block function makes “no sense”. Musk’s takeover has seen a huge overhaul to the X ecosystem, including introducing Twitter Blue, a paid service.
It makes no sense
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2023
Amongst the replies, Musk has been met with people asking him not to remove the block function, as one user says it prevents harassment.
Blocking a user on X prevents that user from engaging with you directly. While they can still tag you, they can’t see your content or have immediate access. It’s a vital feature for some, and one that can help prevent the rise in hate speech that has been discovered on the platform.
In a previous Australian watchdog report, it was found that 1 in 4 Australians went through some sort of hate speech and an increase in reinstating accounts owned by known neo-Nazis. Musk is also suing an anti-hate organization for researching hate speech on Twitter.
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The need for the block button has been repeated since Musk made the statement, with many users reiterating that they don’t want to be hounded by others. While there is a mute function, it does little to deter malicious users from harassing them.
Musk plans to remove the Block button from X
Musk is a huge proponent of “free speech”, claiming that X is a “town square” in moving towards that goal. However, this need for removing the block button has appeared before. The Tesla CEO previously stated he wanted to remove it in favor of a “stronger mute” feature.
My stalker used facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube, literally any social media account he could get, to harass me. Without the block button, it would have been an extra level of hell. Getting rid of blocking is dangerous for the 1/4 of women who are targets of stalkers. pic.twitter.com/e0FujqRReV
— Andréa (Dre) Becker (@andreavbecker) June 8, 2023
As pointed out by Andréa Becker a few weeks ago on X, removing the feature would open up the possibility of stalkers or serial harassers getting through.
However, as with his previous statement about removing light mode from the X app, this hasn’t transpired after the negative backlash.