Elon Musk’s X ( previously known as Twitter) has been updated so that blocked accounts on the social X updated its Help Center over the weekend to clarify the new blocking policy.
While users can still block accounts, those blocked will now be able to view their public posts unless the account is set to private. However, blocked users won't be able to comment on or share the posts.
Additionally, blocked accounts cannot follow the user, and the user won't be able to follow them, a rule that remains unchanged from before the policy update, reports Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press.
Moreover ,if the owner of a blocked account visits a user's profile on X, they will be able to see that they have been blocked.
X indicated that the change was aimed at protecting users who have been blocked.
In a post on its Engineering account, X explained that the blocking feature "can be used by users to conceal or share harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked. With this update, users will be able to detect if such behavior takes place, promoting greater transparency."
But critics say the changes could harm victims and survivors of abuse, for instance.
Thomas Ristenpart, professor of computer security at Cornell Tech and co-founder of the Clinic to End Tech Abuse, said “it can be critical for the safety of survivors of intimate-partner violence to be able to control who sees their posts.”
“We often hear reports about posts to social media enabling abusers to stalk them or triggering further harassment,” he added.
He further informed,"Removing users’ ability to block problematic individuals will be a huge step backwards for survivor safety.”
Since Elon Musk took control of the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022, he has relaxed the rules that were set to reduce hate and harassment.
In the name of free speech, he disbanded the company's Trust and Safety advisory group and allowed accounts that had been banned for hate speech, harassment, and spreading false information to return. When a nonprofit group reported an increase in hate speech on the platform, X sued them, but the lawsuit was dismissed.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
