4 Hours Later After Curses And Insults, Twitter Reverses Its Nonsensical Blocking Policy
"We never want to introduce features at the cost of users feeling less safe." But hours ago, you did just that, Twitter.
By Sadho Ram — 13 Dec 2013, 01:48 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Earlier today, Twitter changed how blocking users functions on its service, turning into a mute-like feature
It allowed blocked users of public accounts to still follow and read those accounts’ tweets in their timelines.
cnet.comThe new policy was essentially a blindfold for the blocker; the blockees could still see you, but you couldn't see them. As TechCrunch reported, whereas before when you blocked someone, they could not see your tweets when logged in, now they could.
time.com
Twitter said that the policy was designed to protect users from retaliation by disgruntled people they’ve blocked. But some victims of harassment and cyber-abuse may feel like the new policy doesn’t protect them enough, as it makes it all that much easier to Twitter-stalk others.
techcrunch.com
... and just four hours later — the company has announced that is has reversed the policy
“We have decided to revert the change after receiving feedback from many users – we never want to introduce features at the cost of users feeling less safe. Any blocks you had previously instituted are still in effect,” it said in a blog post.
The initial changes effectively allowed users who had been blocked to continue to follow a person, read, favorite and retweet their tweets even if they were blocked by that user.
readwrite.com
Despite the u-turn, Twitter is sticking to its philosophical position. It says the current system is “not ideal” because making users aware that they have been blocked can cause retaliation.
mashable.com
“Moving forward, we will continue to explore features designed to protect users from abuse and prevent retaliation,” the company says.
gawker.com
The basic premise of the change seemed so flawed to so many users (this one included) that you have wonder why it instituted the new policy in the first place.
readwrite.com