Elon Musk Says Twitter, Now X, Users Will Lose Ability To Block Content

Users of X, formerly known as Twitter, will no longer be able to block comments from unwanted followers, according to a post by X owner Elon Musk on Friday, removing what was long considered a key security feature. The block will only be available for direct messages, he said.

“Block will be removed as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” Musk wrote on Friday. He was responding to a post from the account of tesla Silicon Valley owners, asking: “Is there a reason to block or silence someone?” The group behind that account promotes the electric car company, where Musk is the CEO.

Since acquiring Twitter last year for $44 billion, Musk has overhauled the company, laying off many employees, reinstating previously banned accounts, and recently renaming the company and platform X. He did not provide a reason or time frame for removing the lock function. , it just says in a follow-up response that it “doesn’t make sense” and that the mute feature will still be available.

Users have been able to use the block feature to ensure that hateful and harassing content does not appear in their feed in response to their posts. The mute feature prevents the individual user from seeing unwanted replies, but does not remove them from each other’s feeds.

Twitter users have also long used the blocking feature for boycotts and to avoid seeing ads from specific brands or promoters on the platform.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, an investor in the new Twitter along with Musk, said in a mail that the company should focus its attention elsewhere.

“X should really resolve the bot and spam issues before removing the blocks,” wrote Zhao, whose company owns one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. “Just my 0.02.”

Louis Jones, a longtime advertising and media executive who now works at the Brand Safety Institute, said Musk’s latest plan is very concerning as users could be inundated with spam, threats and other harmful content.

Musk’s “lax approach to free speech” is likely to have a “double effect,” making harassment more common on the platform and inhibiting free speech for those users who are targeted by harassers and predators, he wrote. Jones in an email to CNBC. “It’s a downward spiral that can’t be good for X’s long-term success.”

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

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