4 ms·

This is technically the better option as it doesn’t indicate via sidechannel that someone has blocked you.

omoikane 2y ago
An alternative is to present a never ending loading screen to users who got blocked, making "access denied because someone blocked you" indistinguishable from regular infrastructure failures. Twitter may be doing something like that already, where some old links will result in "Hmm...this page doesn't exist. Try searching for something else.", even though the same link is visible via a Nitter proxy.
viraptor 2y ago
You still can't interact with them, do you know you're blocked.
- sionisrecur 2y ago
  Once upon a time, you could interact with someone using "@nickname ..." or retweet them using "RE: @nickname: ...".
robertclaus 2y ago
I assume it still blocks actions when someone tries to interact with the user, so the fact that they're blocked isn't a secret. It seems like more of a convenience feature for the person who got blocked (since they would otherwise need to log out), which is an odd direction to push a product.
- pbreit 2y ago
  Unless they allow the reply but hide it from others (ie, shadowban).
- ImPostingOnHN 2y ago
  > I assume it still blocks actions when someone tries to interact with the user That would be weird, the block is there so you don't see their posts & replies, but your block shouldn't affect what they can do. Maybe other people want to see their replies, why should a third party block them from this? It would be like if IRC's /ignore function prevented someone from sending messages containing your name – weird. You should be able to block yourself off from anybody you wish, but not to control their public speech.
- adastra22 2y ago
  Logging out doesn’t work anymore. They would need to make an alt account.
  - danudey 2y ago
    So since abusers, stalkers, and harassers can't just log out to view the blocker's posts, X is making it so that they can view those posts without logging out or changing to an alt account. That makes it a lot more convenient for people who were already blocked for bad behavior to get mad at what someone posted. Sounds like they're catering to the kinds of people who would normally have gotten around blocks by using private browsing.
  - swyx 2y ago
    you guys are acting like the incognito window doesnt exist? literally one click away
    - CydeWeys 2y ago
      It literally doesn't work. You need to be logged into Twitter to see basically anything. Twitter logged out experience is basically just a login page.
      - seattle_spring 2y ago
        Couldn't you just login with a different account?
        adastra22 2y ago
        Sure. But let's look at where we are now. If you're blocked from viewing an account, you need to switch to a different account (possibly in an incognito window rather than adding the account?) and explicitly load the tweet in question. Hold up, how does the blocked person even know about the tweet? That should be an indication that we're not talking about reality any more. The purpose of the block button, which Elon still doesn't understand, is to remove your posts from that person's algorithmic feed. Make it so that they don't get exposed to or notifications about your content, at least without creating a new account (not much you can do about that). Why does that matter? Harassment. There are tons of people on Twitter, with large followings, that dunk-tweet or otherwise harass people, and in doing so end up triggering a brigade. If you've ever had the misfortune of being the victim of one of these negative engagements, you would understand how much this sucks. It destroys usability of the app as you have to wade through literally hundreds of cheap variation of middle school insults just to find any legitimate content. You can't block the hordes of marauding masses, but if you block the key instigators, the problem goes away. They can't interact with you or subtweet you, yes, but they ALSO aren't notified of the things you say, and therefore aren't likely to spread links to your content in private group chats where this trolling behavior is organized. You can autistically insist that akshully the block feature doesn't prevent someone from jumping through some hoops to view your tweets, but that's missing the point. It still solves a real world problem in its current form.
adastra22 2y ago
It defeats the whole point of blocking as a safety mechanism against stalking, harassment, and mob dog piling behavior. Once again, Elon utterly fails to understand the service he bought.
- serial_dev 2y ago
  Yeah, right… blocking has never helped with any of those.
  - adastra22 2y ago
    It has. I speak from personal experience. I have multiple times experienced massive brigading from certain accounts. I blocked them and it stopped. Sure they could still find my tweets and try to instigate something, but in practice they don't. They just whine once about being blocked and move on to some other target.
- hsbauauvhabzb 2y ago
  If anything, it highlights that public posts are just that, public.
  - SketchySeaBeast 2y ago
    Given that I can't easily the post (and certainly can't follow a thread) without a login, is it really public? It's deliberately obfuscated at the very least.
- WithinReason 2y ago
  You can see public posts if you just use a private window, that's why they are public.
  - arielcostas 2y ago
    That was always the case until they started requiring to be logged in to see anything
blablabla123 2y ago
Isn't there always a sidechannel in a social network? Even if it doesn't fully block, it makes stalking etc. more annoying.

An alternative is to present a never ending loading screen to users who got blocked, making "access denied because someone blocked you" indistinguishable from regular infrastructure failures. Twitter may be doing something like that already, where some old links will result in "Hmm...this page doesn't exist. Try searching for something else.", even though the same link is visible via a Nitter proxy.

viraptor 2y ago

You still can't interact with them, do you know you're blocked.

sionisrecur 2y ago
Once upon a time, you could interact with someone using "@nickname ..." or retweet them using "RE: @nickname: ...".

robertclaus 2y ago

I assume it still blocks actions when someone tries to interact with the user, so the fact that they're blocked isn't a secret. It seems like more of a convenience feature for the person who got blocked (since they would otherwise need to log out), which is an odd direction to push a product.

pbreit 2y ago
Unless they allow the reply but hide it from others (ie, shadowban).
ImPostingOnHN 2y ago
> I assume it still blocks actions when someone tries to interact with the user That would be weird, the block is there so you don't see their posts & replies, but your block shouldn't affect what they can do. Maybe other people want to see their replies, why should a third party block them from this? It would be like if IRC's /ignore function prevented someone from sending messages containing your name – weird. You should be able to block yourself off from anybody you wish, but not to control their public speech.
adastra22 2y ago
Logging out doesn’t work anymore. They would need to make an alt account.
- danudey 2y ago
  So since abusers, stalkers, and harassers can't just log out to view the blocker's posts, X is making it so that they can view those posts without logging out or changing to an alt account. That makes it a lot more convenient for people who were already blocked for bad behavior to get mad at what someone posted. Sounds like they're catering to the kinds of people who would normally have gotten around blocks by using private browsing.
- swyx 2y ago
  you guys are acting like the incognito window doesnt exist? literally one click away
  - CydeWeys 2y ago
    It literally doesn't work. You need to be logged into Twitter to see basically anything. Twitter logged out experience is basically just a login page.
    - seattle_spring 2y ago
      Couldn't you just login with a different account?
      - adastra22 2y ago
        Sure. But let's look at where we are now. If you're blocked from viewing an account, you need to switch to a different account (possibly in an incognito window rather than adding the account?) and explicitly load the tweet in question. Hold up, how does the blocked person even know about the tweet? That should be an indication that we're not talking about reality any more. The purpose of the block button, which Elon still doesn't understand, is to remove your posts from that person's algorithmic feed. Make it so that they don't get exposed to or notifications about your content, at least without creating a new account (not much you can do about that). Why does that matter? Harassment. There are tons of people on Twitter, with large followings, that dunk-tweet or otherwise harass people, and in doing so end up triggering a brigade. If you've ever had the misfortune of being the victim of one of these negative engagements, you would understand how much this sucks. It destroys usability of the app as you have to wade through literally hundreds of cheap variation of middle school insults just to find any legitimate content. You can't block the hordes of marauding masses, but if you block the key instigators, the problem goes away. They can't interact with you or subtweet you, yes, but they ALSO aren't notified of the things you say, and therefore aren't likely to spread links to your content in private group chats where this trolling behavior is organized. You can autistically insist that akshully the block feature doesn't prevent someone from jumping through some hoops to view your tweets, but that's missing the point. It still solves a real world problem in its current form.

adastra22 2y ago

It defeats the whole point of blocking as a safety mechanism against stalking, harassment, and mob dog piling behavior. Once again, Elon utterly fails to understand the service he bought.

serial_dev 2y ago
Yeah, right… blocking has never helped with any of those.
- adastra22 2y ago
  It has. I speak from personal experience. I have multiple times experienced massive brigading from certain accounts. I blocked them and it stopped. Sure they could still find my tweets and try to instigate something, but in practice they don't. They just whine once about being blocked and move on to some other target.
hsbauauvhabzb 2y ago
If anything, it highlights that public posts are just that, public.
- SketchySeaBeast 2y ago
  Given that I can't easily the post (and certainly can't follow a thread) without a login, is it really public? It's deliberately obfuscated at the very least.
WithinReason 2y ago
You can see public posts if you just use a private window, that's why they are public.
- arielcostas 2y ago
  That was always the case until they started requiring to be logged in to see anything

blablabla123 2y ago

Isn't there always a sidechannel in a social network? Even if it doesn't fully block, it makes stalking etc. more annoying.