X will address shadowbanning soon, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk (Photo: AFP)


X owner Elon Musk on Thursday said he will soon take action on shadow banning accounts on his platform. Musk also apologised for delay in implementing the changes to stop shadowbanning.

Being shadowbanned means you’re blocked or muted from the social media platform without being notified.

“Sorry it’s taking so long. There are so many layers of ‘trust & safety’ software that it often takes us hours to figure out who, how and why an account was suspended or shadowbanned,” the tech billionaire posted.

“A ground up rewrite is underway that simplifies the X codebase dramatically,” he informed the users.

Doge Designer posted that X is working on a feature which will allow users to see their account status.

“The users will be able to check if they are shadowbanned or not & will also get to know the reason for the same,” the account posted.

Musk reacted: “High Priority”.

After acquiring Twitter (now X) in October last year, Musk had tried to prove that shadowbanning was a common practice at the social network, by releasing information to the public at regular intervals.

He claimed in December last year that political candidates in the US and abroad were subject to “shadow-banning” by Twitter while running for office or seeking re-election.

Musk said that upcoming changes to Twitter’s platform would identify whether anyone had been “shadow-banned,” as well as what they could do to rectify that status.

“Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you’ve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal,” he had tweeted.