Elon Musk says the block button will be the next feature on X, formerly known as Twitter, to be removed.
“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” the X owner posted Friday, in response to a tweet about blocking compared to muting. “Makes no sense.”
As it stands, users can still block other accounts on the platform, which prohibits the blocked account from seeing that user’s tweets, contacting them or being able to follow them. These features may be helpful in the case of online harassment or other extreme online behavior.
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If the block option were to be removed, Musk suggested that users can mute other accounts instead. This option means the user who does the muting cannot see the other account’s posts on their timeline, but does not prohibit them from following you or replying to tweets.
This is the latest change Musk has proposed for the social media platform since he bought the company in October 2022 — though he has not always followed through on all proposed changes. Among the changes that have taken place, Musk has renamed the platform X and removed the verified user designation from prominent journalists, celebrities, brands and other institutions, in favor of a paid verified user program, now called X Premium, which is open to all for $8 a month.
The billionaire and Tesla executive hired former NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s CEO starting in May. However, Musk has said he will act as Twitter’s executive chair and chief technology officer and will continue to oversee product, software and system operations.
Yaccarino also responded to a tweet from Monica Lewinsky on Friday asking Musk to “rethink removing the block feature” because “it’s a critical tool to keep people safe online.” The CEO wrote, “Our users’ safety on X is our number one priority. And we’re building something better than the current state of block and mute. Please keep the feedback coming.”
Most recently Musk has turned Tweetdeck, which allows users to see multiple, customized feeds at a time, into a subscription-only option. The service is now called X Pro and available only for those users who sign up and pay for X Premium.
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