Musk unveils plan to remove block feature from X (aka Twitter)

The social media platform X, formerly Twitter, will remove the ability to block others, says its owner Elon Musk.

The billionaire tweeted: “Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs.” Adding in a later tweet that the feature “makes no sense.”

While users will be able to continue muting others, which allows account holders to hide another’s tweets from their timelines, they will no longer be able to restrict other users from viewing (unless they make their profile private) and ‘tweeting’ to their account.

The Tesla man – who bought Twitter last year – claims to be a free speech activist and has already lifted bans on prominent names such as former US President Donald Trump, who was banned for ‘inciting violence’ after encouraging supporters to storm the Capitol, and American rapper Kanye West, who had his account suspended after posting a Swastika.

The removal of the block feature technically conflicts with guidelines set by Apple’s App Store and Alphabet’s Google Play.

Both companies say that apps with user-generated content must have the ability to block abusive users.

To have the function to block others is a matter of safety, state X users who are arguing against taking it away.

In response, domestic abuse charity Refuge tweeted: “Every day women are abused online. It is incredibly worrying to hear that X may be removing the block feature, which, for many women and girls, provides vital protection.”

“Whatever replaces it must be a step forward for online safety, not a step back.”