- X, formerly Twitter, is making changes to the platform’s block function.
- Blocked users will soon be able to see the posts of the person who blocked them.
- It could force victims of abuse to choose between their safety and speech on X, one advocate said.
X, formerly Twitter, recently announced it’s changing the way the social media platform’s block function works.
Currently, blocking a user means that account can no longer see the posts of the user who blocked them. But X said this week that would change soon, though it did not specify when. Instead, the updated block function will still allow the blocked person to see the posts of the user who blocked them — as long as that user has a public account — but they will be unable to engage with them.
“Today, block can be used by users to share and hide harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked. Users will be able to see if such behavior occurs with this update, allowing for greater transparency,” the X engineering team said in a post.
Critics of the change say it could make X less safe for some users, such as victims of domestic violence or harassment.
X did not provide comment on these concerns when reached by BI, instead referring to the post by the X engineering team.
“big day for stalkers and harassers,” said X user wrote in response to the announcement. The post got more than 89,000 likes.
“That’s not blocking. It’s supporting stalking,” another user said.
“How do I block people whom I’ve blocked for security (stalking) reasons?” another user asked.
“Anything that gives an abusive individual power and control over the victim should be considered carefully by Twitter,” Adam Dodge, founder of End Tech-Enabled Abuse, told Business Insider. “The mere knowledge that a person who is seeking to harm a victim can monitor their social media posts puts that victim in an unsafe position.”
Dodge said that this change in the block function could lead to some victims going into a mode of hypervigilence, which can have a severe impact on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
Dodge said he expects some people to respond to the victims who criticize this change by telling them they should just make their account private, but he said that’s blaming the victim.
In the recent post about the change, X directed users who wanted more control over who could see their posts to the page that explains how they can make their account private.
Dodge said victims should be able to have their account be public if they choose, and that they should be empowered to block users who are harassing, stalking, or abusing them. There are also people who need a public X account for their work.
“I think it’s going to result in victims being forced to choose between safety and their right to speech on the platform, and we should never be putting victims in that place,” he said.
There are workarounds to the current blocking system. For instance, a blocked user could simply create a new account to view the posts of the user who has blocked them.
“While it is true that the current blocking system used by social media platforms isn’t perfect, it typically creates some measure of a barrier to guard against toxic behavior and bad situations on the platform,” Dominic Sellitto, a clinical assistant professor of management science and systems at the University at Buffalo School of Management who researches digital privacy, said. “After all, creating another account takes effort, and the typical harassing user on the platform may just move on if they cannot see a user’s account who has blocked them.”
Sellitto said consumers still have some power over their privacy, and that they can choose not to use a platform if they do not support its policies. He acknowledged, though, that this can be difficult for people whose accounts are tied to their work, personal brand, or even income.
“But it is something that every user should consider with any of their online presences, especially if they are encountering toxic situations,” he added.
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