Elon and Co. Seek to Reduce Blocking Impact for Greater Transparency

X is making changes to its block feature to increase transparency and align with app store requirements. The new system will allow users to see replies from accounts they have blocked, enabling them to identify and report potentially harmful content. This is a shift from the current system where users cannot view replies from blocked accounts.

Elon Musk has expressed his dislike for the block option, believing that people should not be able to completely block others. He has mentioned several times that he intends to delete the block feature, except for Direct Messages (DMs), because he sees it as ineffective and a means for users to make negative remarks without the creator's awareness.

Elon Musk has suggested that a 'Mute' feature could be a better solution than blocking someone on X. He has also proposed the idea of a 'stronger mute' that could potentially replace blocking entirely. However, this suggestion faces challenges as it may conflict with App and Play Store rules which require social networking apps to implement in-app functionality to report and block users.

App and Play Store rules mandate that apps providing access to user-generated content (UGC), such as social networking and blogger apps, must include in-app functionality that allows users to report other users and content, as well as to block users. The exact definition of 'block' is not clearly stipulated, but the rules imply that users must have the ability to block others if they choose.

Elon Musk has criticized public block lists, which are mass collections of accounts that users can block all at once. He claims that these block lists interfere with the recommendation system and create a potential Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) vector. Musk views this as a problem with X's system rather than an issue with the blocking functionality itself.