Elon Musk's latest radical Twitter overhaul: X is about to start hiding all likes to 'allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so'
- Likes will become private for everyone to 'better protect your privacy'
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From paywalled features to a huge rebrand, its safe to say that X (formerly Twitter) has completely transformed since Elon Musk took over.
Now, the self-proclaimed 'chief twit' has revealed his next big change to the platform.
Musk has confirmed reports that X is to start hiding all likes on posts on the platform.
This will 'allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so', according to Musk.
However, it seems that not all users are impressed with the change, with one venting: 'Why does everything done to this platform only make it worse? I've yet to see a good decision made.'
From paywalled features to a huge rebrand, its safe to say that X (formerly Twitter ) has completely transformed since Elon Musk took over. Now, the self-proclaimed 'chief twit' has revealed his next big change to the platform
Musk has confirmed reports that X is to start hiding all likes on posts on the platform
Reports this week suggested the social media giant would imminently start rolling out the change, with the billionaire posting a link to one such report and confirming the change was incoming.
Writing alongside the article, Mr Musk said making likes private was 'important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so'.
Last month, X director of engineering Haofei Wang said the change was coming in order to help users of the site 'protect their public image'.
He added that some users were unwilling to like certain content on the site over fear of retaliation.
'Yeah, we are making likes private,' he wrote on X in May.
'Public likes are incentivising the wrong behaviour.
'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 worrying who might see it.
In a subsequent post, X's Engineering team has confirmed how the change will work
'Also a reminder that the more posts you like, the better your For you algorithm will become.'
In a subsequent post, X's Engineering team has confirmed how the change will work.
'This week we're making Likes private for everyone to better protect your privacy,' it tweeted.
'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 liked someone else's post.
'A post's author can see who liked its posts.'
Since Mr Musk took over Twitter – as it was then known – in late 2022, he has loosened content moderation on the site and allowed more controversial material on the platform, as part of his support of 'absolute free speech'.
Several users have raised their concerns with the update.
'This is one of the worst decisions X has ever made. This has never ever worked when the other 10 companies tried it,' one user tweeted.
Another added: 'in other words... since we can't get rid of blatant platform manipulation we are going to hide it.'
And one vented: 'you guys are really committed to killing this app.'