X-Twitter Plans To Drop The Block Feature

Users of X, formerly known as Twitter, will no longer be able to block comments from unwanted followers, according to CNBC citing a post by X owner Elon Musk on Friday, eliminating what’s long been viewed as a key safety feature. Blocking will only be available for direct messages, he said.

“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” Musk wrote Friday. He was responding to a post from the account of Tesla

Since acquiring Twitter last year for $44 billion, Musk has overhauled the company, laying off many employees, reinstating previously banned accounts and recently rebranding the company and platform as X. He didn’t provide a reason or a time frame for eliminating the block function, only saying in a follow-up response that “it makes no sense” and that the mute function will still be available.

Users have been able to use the block function to make sure that hateful content and harassment doesn’t show up in their feed in response to their posts. The mute feature just keeps the individual user from seeing the undesired responses, but doesn’t eliminate them from others’ feeds.

Twitter users have also long employed the block feature in boycotts and to avoid seeing ads from specific brands or promoters on the platform.

Louis Jones, a longtime media and advertising executive who now works at the Brand Safety Institute, said Musk’s latest plan is very concerning as users could be inundated with spam, threats and other harmful content.

Conservative actor James Woods, who said he would likely leave the platform entirely if the feature is taken away. Musk was quick to fire back at Woods’ claim and tweeted back, “Then delete your account.”