Users of Twitter might no longer be able to block undesirable followers

The site is receiving a significant rebranding following Elon Musk’s multibillion dollar acquisition of it last year.

Elon Musk, the owner of the website, has reportedly convinced Twitter to remove a function that allows users to block unwanted followers because it “makes no sense.” It is unclear how the change will be put into practise because some significant app stores need a built-in banning option.

On Friday, Musk responded to a question from a different user on Twitter, which is presently rebranding as X, asking whether there is “ever a reason to block vs. mute someone.”

He announced, “Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature,’ except for DMs,” and then added, “It makes no sense.”

The multibillionaire businessman didn’t go into detail about why he wanted to get rid of the block button, but he has previously expressed his displeasure with it and suggested switching it out for “a stronger form of mute.”

The muted account can still access information from the user in question even though the mute feature currently only allows users to conceal followers from their feed. In contrast, blocking prevents any further communication between the two users.

The Verge said that Musk has expressed concerns about “giant block lists” on Twitter, or downloadable directories of accounts that users may block all at once, saying they “mess up the recommendation system.”

Enacting the move could prove challenging, though, as both Apple and Google’s app stores mandate blocking functionality, with Google’s Play Store requiring “an in-app system for blocking [user-generated content] and users.” In a similar vein, Apple requests that apps made available through its store have the “ability to block abusive users from the service.”

Musk asserts that Zuckerberg declined a fight in the Colosseum.
Musk has only said that users will still be able to block unpleasant direct messages so far without providing any additional information on how the blocking feature would be handled or whether it would be replaced by a comparable substitute.

Musk bought out Twitter for $44 billion last year. Since then, he has promised to completely restructure the website and has changed a few crucial features, most notably redesigning the “blue tick” system to turn it into a paid subscription service. He has already expressed the desire to build the “everything app” X, of which Twitter would be just one component.