X to make likes private as porn policy changes

Social media platform X is making likes private, a move that CEO Elon Musk describes as vital for users to “like posts without getting attacked for doing so.” Initially, the option to hide the likes tab was introduced as an exclusive benefit for X Premium subscribers. “[Keep] spicy likes private,” X stated during the announcement of this feature.

This week we’re making Likes private for everyone to better protect your privacy.

– You will still be able to see posts you have liked (but others cannot).

– Like count and other metrics for your own posts will still show up under notifications.

– You will no longer see who…

— Engineering (@XEng) June 11, 2024

In a recent post, Haofei Wang, the company’s director of engineering, said that the upcoming change aims to safeguard users’ public images. He explained, “Many people feel discouraged” from liking “edgy” content.

Yeah, we are making likes private.

Public likes are incentivizing 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.

Soon you’ll be able to like without… https://t.co/vPGllc4pB0

— Haofei (@wanghaofei) May 22, 2024

However, the engineering team has announced that the network will transition to private likes for all users this week. People will not be able to see who has liked other users’ posts, possibly reducing PR headaches for celebrities and other public figures who like controversial content. Users will still retain the ability to see who liked their own posts, as well as their total likes and other related metrics.

Speaking to The Verge, a source from the company said: “Social media in general is shifting away from like counts, so this makes sense.

“Part of me thinks [Musk] just wants to disassociate from Twitter more and more.”

The launch removes the incentive to purchase a premium subscription. Last year, the company saw a decline in advertising revenue, causing it to introduce two new subscription levels to address its financial difficulties. The Premium+ tier, priced at $16 per month, offers an ad-free experience, while the basic tier, available for $3 per month, does not include the website’s blue checkmark.

Why is X changing its likes policy?

The decision to hide all users’ likes takes place just over a week after X revised its policy to allow pornography on the platform. In this update, X announced it would accept consensually produced adult pornographic content, provided it is “properly labeled and not prominently displayed.”

Previously, Twitter had allowed pornographic content, and Reuters noted in 2022 that such content constituted approximately 13 percent of Twitter’s uploads.

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