X, formerly Twitter, now hides your 'likes'
What prompted X, formerly known as Twitter, to make likes private for all users?
X, formerly known as Twitter, made likes private for all users to better protect users' privacy. The change was implemented to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so and to encourage free expression. The decision was announced by X's engineering team, who stated that users will still be able to see the posts they have liked, but others will not2. Like counts and other metrics for a user's own posts will still show up under notifications, and a post's author can see who liked the post. However, users will no longer be able to see the users who liked someone else's post.
How does the new privacy setting for likes on X affect the visibility of user engagement to others within the platform?
The new privacy setting for likes on X affects the visibility of user engagement to others within the platform by making likes private for everyone. This means that users can see which posts they have liked, but others cannot. The author of a post can still see who liked it, with their like count and other engagement metrics showing up under the notifications tab. However, no one can see who liked another person's post. This change has been implemented to better protect users' privacy and to encourage more engagement on the platform without the fear of retaliation from trolls or concerns about protecting one's public image.
How did the visibility of likes on X previously lead to public figures facing scrutiny or embarrassment?
The visibility of likes on X, formerly known as Twitter, has led to public figures facing scrutiny or embarrassment in several instances. One such example occurred in 2017 when an account linked to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz liked a pornographic post from an account titled "Sexuall Posts." This incident caused a minor frenzy, and Cruz ultimately blamed a staffer's "mistake" for the like. Another example involves Kentucky State Sen. Jason Howell, who faced questions about his liked tweets by pornography-related accounts while sponsoring a bill to remove "obscene" materials from public schools. Howell claimed he was the victim of a hack or spam. These instances demonstrate that public likes could lead to negative consequences for public figures, prompting X to make likes private to protect users' public image.