Your Likes on X, now Private

Likes are now private for some users

X (formerly Twitter) just rolled out a privacy update for the Likes feature this week, This week, the new update will change how user interactions are displayed, sparking varied reactions among its global user base.

X has decided to make the "Likes" tab on each user's profile private. This means that users can still view and manage their own likes, but the "Likes" tab will no longer be visible to others. 

A few weeks ago, X's director of engineering, Haofei Wang, conveyed that an upcoming change aims to safeguard users' public image. The adjustment addresses the concern that "many people feel discouraged" to engage with "edgy" content. The Likes tab on user profiles will be eliminated. However, users will still have visibility into who liked their posts and the overall like count for all posts. They will not have access to the identities of individuals who liked someone else's post, as elucidated by X senior software engineer Enrique Barragan.

The tally of likes on tweets will now be private, with a few specific exceptions to note: one, users will continue to receive notifications about the likes on their own posts, allowing them to see who has liked their tweets, and two, the original author of the post will still have access to information about who liked their tweets, even though others cannot see this information.

This update extends the privacy of hiding likes to all users on the platform, regardless of their subscription status (free or premium).

The response to this change has been mixed. Some users appreciate the move towards greater privacy, suggesting that likes are superficial metrics that do not contribute meaningfully to the discourse on the platform. On the other hand, critics argue that this update diminishes the social aspect of X.

This update is a reaction to past controversies involving public figures, such as politicians and celebrities, who were scrutinized for their digital endorsements. 

Incidents, where likes by high-profile individuals led to public relations issues, highlight the challenges of a fully transparent system. By privatizing likes, X may shield influential users from unintended public scrutiny and backlash and benefit from this. The shift towards more private interactions might align with a broader trend in social media towards personalization and privacy.