Elon Musk's X Introduces Hidden Likes Feature to Protect Privacy
X, formerly known as Twitter, has rolled out a new feature allowing users to hide their likes from the public, with the intent to enhance user privacy. This update ensures that while users can still see the posts they've liked, the rest of the public will not have access to this information. Additionally, the authors of posts will be able to view their own like counts but will not have access to detailed lists of who has liked other people's posts.
The implementation of this feature, announced by Elon Musk, came with the notification: 'Your likes are now private.' Musk noted a 'huge increase in likes' following the rollout, attributing this surge to the newfound privacy. The platform's engineering director mentioned that the goal of this update is to protect the public image of users, allowing them to like content without concerns about external judgments or attacks.
The decision sparked diverse reactions on social media. Supporters like Nader and Muhammad appreciate the enhanced privacy. Nader believes it will offer users the chance to express themselves freely without fear of surveillance or intrusion. Muhammad, on the other hand, initially skeptical, came around to support the decision as it eliminates the need for observers.
Critics like Salma and Toro, however, raised their concerns. Salma humorously lamented the inability to hint preferences to a spouse. Toro took a more light-hearted approach, commenting on the triviality of hiding likes in the grand scheme of things. Despite some negative feedback, the update was welcomed by many users who value their privacy.
This update comes against a backdrop of financial challenges for X, marked by a significant decline in advertising revenues over the past year. The company is introducing new subscription levels to offset these challenges. Nevertheless, the move to private likes aims to balance user satisfaction with business goals, promoting a more open and supportive community.
Musk also mentioned that this policy aligns with X's shift towards prioritizing views as the more relevant unit of measurement, differentiating the platform from its predecessor, Twitter. This change reflects Musk's longstanding desire to transform X into a more dynamic and user-friendly platform.
- Another aspect of the feature rollout includes the ability for X to use hidden likes to adjust each user's algorithm, potentially providing more content similar to what users privately like. This allows users to explore their tastes more freely without public scrutiny.
- Instances of public likes leading to controversial incidents were also highlighted, such as US Senator Ted Cruz's accidental like of a pornographic tweet in 2017. These embarrassing moments will now be a thing of the past with the new private likes feature.
- The feature update echoes a broader movement towards user privacy, which had been gaining traction for several months. X’s director of engineering emphasized that many users felt discouraged from liking certain content due to potential backlash.
- With the disappearance of the 'Like' tab from user profiles, X is working diligently to detect and counteract any misuse of bots to inflate likes, ensuring the platform remains trustworthy and authentic.
