Technology

X ditches public likes in new push to enhance user privacy

A photo taken on November 17, 2023 shows the logo of US online social media and social networking service X - formerly Twitter - on a smartphone screen. (Photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

By Amina Wako | Thursday, June 13, 2024

The change, which took effect on Wednesday, means that while users can still see their own likes, these will no longer be visible to others.

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has moved to hide users' likes from public view.

The announcement, made by X's engineering team earlier this week, marks a substantial shift in the platform's functionality. The update states that the decision to "make likes private for everyone" aims to enhance user privacy protection.

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The change, which took effect on Wednesday, means that while users can still see their own likes, these will no longer be visible to others.

This ends a feature that has been a staple of the platform since its inception, allowing users to see what posts others have liked. The "Likes" tab is now only available on a user's profile page and has disappeared when viewing other users' profiles.

To inform users of this change, X issued a pop-up notification suggesting that the adjustment would enhance user engagement. “Liking more posts will make your ‘For You’ feed better,” the message indicated, suggesting that increased user interaction could improve the personalised content feed.

Despite the privacy enhancement, notifications will still display things like counts and other metrics for a user's posts. Posts will still show the total number of likes received, but only the author will have access to the list of users who liked their posts.

Previously, the option to hide likes was a feature exclusive to paying Premium subscribers. In September, X introduced this option, which allows users to "keep spicy likes private by hiding your likes tab." Now, this privacy feature is available to all users, reflecting a broader push towards user privacy.

This latest update is among many changes implemented since billionaire Elon Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion in 2022. Under Musk's ownership, X has undergone significant transformations, including a rebranding from Twitter to X, a new logo, and the controversial decision to remove blue verification checks from non-Premium users.

Although some of these changes, such as the removal and subsequent selective restoration of verification badges, have sparked debate, they indicate a clear departure from the platform's previous norms.

The response to these in-app changes has been mixed. The removal of verification badges, in particular, raised concerns about misinformation, as prominent officials and news organizations lost their verified status.

Additionally, X has faced criticism over rising issues related to content moderation and an increase in hate speech, with some researchers attributing these problems to changes under Musk's leadership. Both user and advertiser pushback have been notable.