X.com (formerly Twitter): a rich new idea from Elon Musk to make its application even more complicated

Elon Musk, owner of X.comrecently announced its intention to remove the function allowing to block other accounts, believing that this ” has no sense “. But this decision raises many concerns about the fight against cyberharassment on the social network.

Since the purchase of Twitter for 44 billion dollars in 2022, Elon Musk has continued to modify the operation of the platform, renamed “X” for several months. His latest idea? The outright removal of the “block” function, which currently allows a user to prevent another account from seeing their posts or interacting with them.

“ Blocking will be removed as a feature, except for private messages », tweeted Elon Musk a few days ago, in response to a user who questioned him on this subject. This decision immediately sparked strong reactions, as many saw it as a threat to the security and well-being of users on the platform.

A clear distinction between blocking and hiding

Currently, X.com offers two options to protect against unwanted accounts: blocking and hiding (or “muting”). While these two features may seem similar at first glance, they actually have major differences.

When a user blocks an account, they can no longer see their tweets, followers, or following list. The blocked person also cannot mention the user who blocked them in their tweets. On the other hand, the “hide” option is more flexible. It simply allows you to no longer see an account’s tweets in your news feed, without preventing this account from interacting with you.

It is therefore this distinction that Elon Musk seems to want to eliminate by retaining only the “hide” function. “ The blocking function will be more muscular and easier to put in place. This is the best solution to make everything published by the hidden account invisible. It will be possible to continue following this same account if necessary, while preventing it from contacting you by private message “, he explained on his profile.

But for many users, that’s not enough. Indeed, it’s easy to imagine that removing the block exposes them more to harassment and toxic behavior by allowing malicious accounts to continue to target them indirectly, even after being hidden.

What impact for users?

The removal of this “block” function on X.com has many users fearing an increase in online harassment. Indeed, this option is very often favored by victims of cyberharassment to protect themselves from their attackers. Its disappearance would make them more vulnerable to hateful messages.

Several Internet users are trying to stand up. In the same way, several associations warn against this decision which could considerably increase the risks for minors.

Beyond harassment, it is also the question of respect for private life and the law which is at stake. If Musk has not yet decided on the date of disappearance of the blocking function, it could take more time than expected. Indeed, X.com risks encountering obstacles linked to the rules of the App Store and the Play Store. Among their many rules, it is specified that applications that rely on user-generated content, such as social networks, must offer the possibility of blocking abusive users.

However, as was seen during the name change (the App Store prohibits applications with only one letter in the name), Apple can sometimes be more flexible. It also remains to be seen whether Elon Musk will maintain his decision despite the criticism, or whether he will backtrack as he has done in the past on certain divisive subjects.

Source : Cerfia on X.com