Likes on X will be private starting this week
Soon, you're likes will no longer be visible to everyone on X
๐ X is rolling out its previously announced changes to how likes work
๐ Posts you like on X wonโt be visible to the public
๐ Youโll still be able to see who liked your posts and the like count for all posts
๐ซฃ However, you wonโt be able to see the people who have liked someone elseโs post
We already knew that X was changing the way โlikesโ work, but now itโs officially rolling out the changes to everyone on the platform. And perhaps unsurprisingly, itโs split opinion.
A post from X Engineering outlined how the change to likes will work.
This week weโre 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 liked someone elseโs post.
A postโs author can see who liked its post.
X has justified the decision to make likes private as it believes the current system was โincentivizing the wrong behaviorโ. According to X engineer Wang Haofei, they noticed that many people felt discouraged from liking posts that might be deemed โedgyโ for fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image.
Thereโs no doubt that peopleโs likes or follows have led to negative repercussions in the past, with people delving into a userโs history to see what theyโve been engaging with and then trying to use that against them.
Critics believe hiding likes will mean people wonโt be held accountable for liking unsavory posts, but itโll certainly mean that users wonโt have to debate whether they want to express how they feel or risk the wrath of people who donโt agree with their views.
Those who subscribed to X Premium were able to hide their likes from public view, but it seems this perk wasnโt worth paywalling and is now available for everyone. Just make sure the change has rolled out before you go out on a liking spree in the next few days.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcutโs Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadarโs Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.