X changes, explained
Why blocked accounts can still see your posts on X
You block someone, and they can still read everything you post. That is not a bug. X
changed what a block does in November 2024, and the change is still in place.
By Lovlin Thakkar, who builds Muffle
·
· 2 min read
For most of Twitter's life, a block was a wall. The person you blocked could not see your
posts while logged in, could not follow you and could not message you. People used it for
exes, for harassers, and for the stranger who would not stop replying.
In September 2024 Elon Musk said blocking should work differently. X confirmed the change in
October and switched it on around 3 November 2024. Since then, a blocked account can read your
public posts just like anyone else.
What a block still does
A block stopped being a wall and became a muzzle. The person can look, but they cannot touch.
| A blocked account | Since November 2024 |
|---|
| Sees your public posts | Yes |
| Sees your followers and following lists | Yes |
| Likes, replies or reposts | No |
| Follows you | No |
| Sends you a DM | No |
They also find out. A blocked account that opens your profile is told it has been blocked.
A mute is silent: the other person never knows.
Why X says it changed
X's argument was that a block never hid much anyway. Anyone could log out, or open a second
account, and read your public posts. Blocking also let people quietly share things about
someone while that person could not see it. Making public posts visible to everyone, blocked
or not, was X's answer to both.
I think the first half of that is fair. A block was always more of a speed bump than a
lock. But the speed bump mattered: most people do not bother with a second account, and
having to work at it was the point.
If you want someone out
- Protect your posts. It is in Settings, under Privacy and safety. Only approved followers see what you post, and a blocked account cannot follow
you. This is the only setting that hides your posts from a blocked account. The cost is
that everyone else is shut out too.
- Keep the block. It still stops replies, likes, reposts, follows and DMs,
which is most of the harm.
- Limit replies. Each post lets you choose who can reply: everyone,
accounts you follow, or only people you mention.
- Mute instead. If what you want is to stop seeing them rather than stop
them seeing you, a mute does that without telling them.
None of this stops someone logged out of X from reading public posts. That was true before
the change and it is true now.
Hiding people you have not met yet
Blocks and mutes work one account at a time. If the problem is a type of account rather than
one person, Muffle's filters hide posts by keyword, name,
handle or what someone's bio says, so you never see them in the first place.