Users you blocked on X will now be able to see your posts

It’s been a wild ride on X since Elon Musk took the reins. And just when we thought the app had exhausted its arsenal of controversial changes, today, X announced something so baffling that users (myself included) are left questioning, “Who thought this was a good idea?”

You see, I’ve been a pretty chill passenger on the X rollercoaster. The rebrand? Meh. Shift to a premium tier? Shrug. I never saw the need to pay for social media anyway. But this? Oh, this block function change is where I hop off the ride — along with countless others.

So, what’s this new horror? According to X’s announcement, blocked users will now be able to see your posts (so long as they’re public), but they won’t be able to like, reply, or repost them. A glorified “peek, but don’t touch” system, if you will. It’s the equivalent of placing a “No Entry” sign outside your house but leaving all your windows wide open.

The announcement dropped like a lead balloon:

Soon we’ll be launching a change to how the block function works. If your posts are set to public, accounts you have blocked will be able to view them, but they will not be able to engage (like, reply, repost, etc.).

To sweeten the deal, they followed this up with a guide on how to protect your posts, basically saying, “If you don’t want creeps seeing your stuff, just make your account private. Problem solved, right?” Wrong.

While X claims this change is for “greater transparency,” users are having none of it, and here’s why I think the change to the X block function is a mess:

1. The trust is broken: Back in December 2022, Elon Musk promised that major policy changes would be voted on by users. This move? Not a single vote in sight. Talk about breaking promises, Elon.

Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022

2. Dangerous consequences: Users are rightfully pointing out that this change endangers those vulnerable to online abuse, stalking, and harassment. The block function has always been a last line of defense, especially for teens fending off cyberbullies or people dealing with stalkers. In fact, some developers say this shift might even violate the Apple App Store and Google Play Store terms of service .

3. Not Safe for Work (or minors): NSFW content creators, who rely on blocking to keep minors out of their spaces, are about to have a major headache. Without a solid block function, filtering out unwanted viewers is basically impossible.

User backlash: “Who thought this was a good idea?”

As you might expect, the internet is having none of this. JerryRigEverything, who hasn’t always been a fan of Elon Musk, summed it up best:

Someone else chimed in with a harsh yet oddly satisfying jab:

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a very messy bankruptcy.

Another pointed out the glaring flaw in the new system:

The whole point of the block button is I don’t want them to even know I exist!

The frustration is understandable. The new block function feels like it’s designed to help people spy on those who have blocked them. As another user sarcastically suggested:

Can we make a new button called ‘Actually Block’ that actually blocks them?

Beyond the immediate user frustrations, X seems to be playing a dangerous game with legal regulations. For instance, countries like Canada require the block function for platforms to meet anti-hate laws, and GDPR compliance could become a nightmare if X starts dishing out user data like candy on Halloween. So, the potential for the app to be banned in certain countries looms large.

Bluesky enters the chat

Bluesky has been on a roll lately, taking any chance to aim digs at X and other competing platforms. As expected, Bluesky, a smaller rival platform, didn’t waste time capitalizing on this chaos. They posted a cheeky welcome message on X saying “Welcome, new Bluesky users 🫡” followed by another post detailing the block function on the platform.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bluesky’s servers are smoking right now from the sudden influx of new users.

Is this the final straw?

With the block feature effectively neutered, many users are threatening to ditch the platform entirely. Whether they move to Bluesky, Mastodon, or back to good ol’ Facebook remains to be seen, but one sure thing is that Musk’s latest move isn’t doing much to win back advertisers, let alone the loyalty of the platform’s dwindling user base.

At the end of the day, this change feels like a tone-deaf decision from someone who hates being blocked. As one disgruntled user put it:

And while the legality of this update remains murky (and likely to spark more drama), this is going to be messy.

So, hopefully X will look back and fix this. Or at least, bring back the good old block button before we all move to platforms that understand privacy, safety, and user sanity.

What are your thoughts on X’s block function change? Is this the final straw for you, or are you sticking around for more drama?