In recent days, users of social platform X have been switching to its competitor, Bluesky, following a series of unwelcome changes. Bluesky, a decentralised platform gaining popularity, reported an impressive surge of 500,000 new signups in a single day this week, and the timing coincides with some controversial updates on X.
update: half a million new people in the last day 🤯 welcome, いらっしゃいませ, 환영, bem-vindo! 🦋🎉
— Bluesky (@bsky.app) October 18, 2024 at 1:00 AM
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The changes on X have left many users wanting more and questioning their continued platform use. One major point of contention is the recent modification to the block feature, which many users see as a crucial tool for online safety. This week, X users were informed that their posts would now be visible to previously blocked individuals. Although those blocked users will not be able to interact with posts, this update marks a significant shift in how the block function operates, raising concerns about online harassment.
Blocking changes sparks concern
For many, the block function is a vital safety measure that allows users to shield themselves from unwanted contact, particularly from harassers or individuals they want to avoid in their online and offline lives. Under the new rule, blocked users can still see posts, which many feel undermines the purpose of blocking altogether. Although the company stated that this change would bring “greater transparency” by allowing users to monitor if harmful information is shared by someone they’ve blocked, this reasoning hasn’t settled well with everyone.
Today, block can be used by users to share and hide harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked. Users will be able to see if such behavior occurs with this update, allowing for greater transparency.
— Engineering (@XEng) October 16, 2024
X’s official account explained, “Today, block can be used by users to share and hide harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked. Users will be able to see if such behaviour occurs with this update, allowing for greater transparency.” Despite this claim, many users feel this is a step backwards in safeguarding them from potential harm, especially for those who use the feature to maintain distance from problematic individuals.
High time this happened.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 23, 2024
The block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public post.
Elon Musk has previously voiced his disdain for the block feature, and this latest adjustment aligns with his earlier criticisms. However, the platform’s users see it as a significant threat to their privacy and personal safety. Shortly after the changes were introduced, Bluesky seized the opportunity to invite users looking for a safer, more user-friendly alternative. Meanwhile, Meta has not yet commented whether Threads, another competitor, has seen similar spikes in new user registrations.
welcome, new bluesky users 🫡 https://t.co/x6v5YW0WFT https://t.co/WiMMfo0asD
— bluesky (@bluesky) October 16, 2024
X’s terms of service updates cause further alarm
Alongside the blocking changes, more controversy is brewing over updates to X’s terms of service. The new terms, introduced recently, state that data shared on the platform could now be used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. The updated terms read, “You agree that this license includes the right for us to analyse text and other information you provide … for use with and training our machine learning and artificial intelligence models, whether generative or another type.”
This clause, absent from earlier versions of the terms of service, has raised concerns about privacy and the ethical use of user data. The revision, which came into effect on October 9, is seen by many as a major shift in how X handles user data, sparking a fresh wave of mistrust from its community.
Another point of contention in the terms of service relates to legal disputes. Any disagreements between users and the platform will now be resolved in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. This choice of jurisdiction has raised eyebrows as a Tesla investor, Judge Reed O’Connor, previously oversaw cases involving Musk’s companies. Although Judge O’Connor has since stepped down from a related case after media reports highlighted his financial interest in Tesla, his involvement raises questions.
With these recent changes, many users feel the platform is heading in an unwelcome direction, prompting them to explore alternatives like Bluesky. As the backlash continues, it remains to be seen how X will address the concerns of its user base or whether more people will leave the platform for its competitors.
