X changes the rules – blocking no longer protects from viewing posts

The blocking feature in X (Twitter) will now work slightly differently. Blocked users will be able to access the public posts of the person who blocked them, but will not be able to interact with those posts. Elon Musk announced this on his account, saying that “the blocking feature will block this account from interacting with public posts, but will not block viewing.”

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Currently, when you try to view the profile of a user who has blocked you, X displays the message “You are blocked.” At the same time, blocking not only hides all the user’s publications, but also prevents you from reading his replies, viewing media files, or the list of subscribers and subscriptions. The Verge reports that the platform is introducing a new rule, lifting all these restrictions, because people can already view posts from accounts that have blocked them simply by using a different account.

Previously, Elon Musk has repeatedly spoken out against the blocking function. So, last year he said that this option does not make sense and that it should be abolished altogether, and mute should be used instead. He also does not rule out introducing a complete ban on blocking by users in the future, with the exception of personal messages.

While blacklisted users will still not be able to interact with posts (comment, like, etc.) but will be able to access them, it has been suggested that this could potentially make it easier for attackers to harass their victims.