X Welcomes stalkers with open arms and blocked views

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Elon Musk’s X has flipped the script on blocking. Now, accounts you’ve blocked can still see your posts, even though they can’t interact with them. Yeah, it’s as creepy as it sounds.

News of this change first appeared in September 2024, but it’s only starting to roll out now. X claims this is all about “transparency,” reports Engadget.

The reasoning is that blocked users can already see and interact with accounts that have blocked them by hopping on a different account.

They also argue that blocking, as previously implemented, could be used to share and hide harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked.

But let’s be real, this is a total disaster waiting to happen, especially for victims of stalking and harassment.

London Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman put it best: “Enabling blocked users to see posts is catering to abusers and stalkers, indulging and facilitating their behaviors.”

This move is so tone-deaf, it may even violate app store rules. Apple, for instance, mandates that any app with user-generated content must offer “the ability to block abusive users from the service.”

The block button is technically still there, but it’s hard to see what, if anything, Apple and Google will do about it.

The good news is that users are already peacing out. Alternative platforms like Bluesky and Threads are seeing a surge in popularity.

Threads just announced it has reached 275 million monthly active users, a jump of 75 million in just the past three months.

So yeah, this block function change is a total dumpster fire. But hey, at least it’s giving us all a reason to ditch X for greener pastures.

Do you think Elon’s X has gone too far with this block function overhaul? How do you feel it affects user safety and privacy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.