In a significant move aimed at enhancing user privacy, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter has announced a major change to its like feature.
The update, unveiled on Wednesday, will allow users to see the posts they liked, but these interactions will no longer be visible to others. The company states,
“You can still see posts you have liked [but others cannot]. Like count and other metrics for your posts will still show up under notifications. You will no longer see who liked someone else’s post.”
Elon Musk, the owner of X, described this as an “important change,” echoing the sentiments of the platform’s director of engineering, Haofei Wang, who had previously stated that the existing likes system incentivized the “wrong behavior.”
“For example, many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be ‘edgy’ in fear of retaliation from trolls or to protect their public image,” Wang had said last month.
This latest update is part of a series of changes implemented since Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the influential social media platform in late 2022. Under his leadership, X has significantly scaled back moderation efforts and reinstated previously banned accounts, including those of former US President Donald Trump and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
While Musk has argued that these changes have been a boon for free speech, critics have accused him of encouraging hateful rhetoric and the spread of misinformation.
In another recent move, X updated its guidelines earlier this month to formally allow users to share consensual and clearly labeled sexualized content, a decision that has also drawn mixed reactions.
As the platform navigates these transformative times, the latest privacy-focused update on likes is poised to reshape the user experience, offering users more control over their online interactions and engagement.
