X starts making Likes private for everyone

What posts you liked on X used to be publicly available information, which would sometimes get people in trouble, so now the social platform, previously known as Twitter, is starting to make that data private.

The X Engineering account revealed you will be still able to see posts you have liked, but others won't. Authors will retain like counters and will be able to see who liked their posts, but you won't get detailed lists for other people's posts.

This week we’re making Likes private for everyone to better protect your privacy.

– You will still be able to see posts you have liked (but others cannot).

– Like count and other metrics for your own posts will still show up under notifications.

– You will no longer see who…

— Engineering (@XEng) June 11, 2024

Elon Musk, the Owner and Executive Chairman of X, said in a separate post it was "important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so."

Creators and paying users were not satisfied with the change, claiming they couldn't track post engagement and would boost platform manipulation through paid likes. However, this might allow users to like more stuff, knowing they won't be bullied for doing so.

Making this feature available to anyone will however remove one of the reasons to get the premium subscription. The company's revenues took a huge hit in 2023, and it tried to save face by introducing a paid tier to make up for the lost income.

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