Elon Musk announced that the ‘block’ feature on ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, will be “deleted, except for direct messaging,” causing uproar among users.
Some users took to X to push back against the move, citing cases of harassment and freedom to delegate who has access to their content.
“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature,’ except DMs,” Musk tweeted in response to the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley X account asking, “Is there ever a reason to block vs. mute, someone?”
Musk added that the “block” feature “makes no sense.”
But users disagreed with Musk, stating that removing the feature would be a bad idea, leaving people vulnerable to stalkers, harassment, and scams.
“Blocking is a good way to prevent scammers/bots from replying to future posts in the time they’re waiting to be actioned.” ALX tweeted, “I also think blocking should be encouraged in place of reporting when people are getting unwanted replies & in cases when there’s no ToS violation.”
Left-wing commentator, ShoeOnHead, wrote, “People can say whatever they want, but others should be allowed to lock their doors and not listen to it.”
Wall Street Silver wrote, “There are certain evil people that users just don’t want following them or replying to them. Scammers, cyber stalkers, etc.”.
The current block feature allows users to stop accounts from commenting, seeing one’s posts, and sending them messages.
However, Musk said people can still block accounts, but only through direct messaging with the “mute” feature.
Other users voiced concerns that their accounts could be targeted if the block feature is removed.
Leftists are known to target conservative Twitter accounts they disagree with politically, resulting in mass flagging and possible suspension.
