A corporate insider claims social media platform X will soon launch private likes. This modification will hide user likes by default, a functionality currently accessible to X Premium users.
Elon Musk recently shared a screenshot emphasizing enabling users to like posts without facing attacks.
Haofei Wang, X's head of engineering, indicated a few weeks ago that the adjustment would safeguard users' public image since "many people feel discouraged" from enjoying "edgy" content. According to The Verge, the Likes tab on user profiles will disappear. Last month, Wang hinted that the change would be made "soon."
Important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so! https://t.co/3O1bG7wIGe
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2024
X Possibly To Hide Likes Starting Today
X senior software engineer Enrique Barragan hinted at the debut today in a post that users would still be able to see who liked their posts and the like count for all posts but not who liked other users' postings.
Elon Musk said late last year he wanted to abolish tweet action buttons and promote post views, or "impressions." The tech billionaire thought likes weren't essential, the source said. The insider believes that Elon Musk wants to "distance himself from Twitter more" as social media moves away from counting likes.
This update comes after X implemented allowed pornographic content. However, it blocks adult and violent postings for individuals under 18 and non-opt-in users due to regulatory pressure to protect youngsters from improper social media information, as previously reported by TechTimes.
Previously, the platform formerly known as Twitter did not censor pornographic content. Under the new policy, X users will receive a warning if a post contains adult content, including nudity and graphic sexual activity, per The Guardian. This content is inaccessible to under-18s and those without birthdates.
X said it would recognize user postings and modify account settings if they do not label pornographic content. Similar laws apply to violent speech or material that threatens, incites, praises, or expresses a desire for violence or injury.
In January 2023, the UK children's commissioner discovered that 41% of individuals 16 to 18 had seen pornography on X, compared to 37% on adult sites. Julie Inman Grant, Australia's internet safety authority, attacked Apple and Google for keeping X and Reddit on their app stores despite adult material, citing financial incentives owing to the 30% fee on sales.
Apple's developer standards allow applications that conceal user-generated explicit material to be displayed. X's new policy follows these criteria, keeping the software on Apple's platform.
X is also fighting the Australian eSafety Commissioner over 65 tweets featuring a Sydney stabbing video. For Australian users, X blocks these tweets, but eSafety says VPN connections should also be blocked. The federal court will hear the lawsuit in late June.
Elon Musk Blasts Apple Intelligence
Separately, Elon Musk expressed his opposition to Apple's AI, dubbed "Apple Intelligence" for iOS 18, launched at this week's WWDC 2024. TechTimes recently reported that the tech mogul called OpenAI's ChatGPT integration a "security violation."
Musk shared memes, voiced disgust on social media, and threatened to ban Apple devices from Tesla, SpaceX, and X. He called Apple Intelligence's connection with OpenAI's ChatGPT an "unacceptable security violation," referencing the WWDC 2024 launch.
He called Apple's lack of AI development "patently absurd" and argued that Apple is risking user privacy by providing data to OpenAI without knowing the implications.
