Oct 19, 2024 04:20 PM IST
Bluesky added half a million new users in just a day following new controversial changes to Elon Musk’s X which included a plan to alter the block feature
Several controversial changes in X (Formerly Twitter) is pushing more and more people towards Bluesky, its decentralized competitor, according to a report by The Verge.
The changes were so impactful that Bluesky has added 500,000 new users in a day this week, according to the report.
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What were the changes in X that pushed users away?
X users this week got a pop-up message notifying that their posts will remain visible even to users who they’ve blocked previously, though they still won’t be able to interact with the posts.
“Today, block can be used by users to share and hide harmful or private information about those they’ve blocked,” the official X account posted. “Users will be able to see if such behavior occurs with this update, allowing for greater transparency.”
This is a problem since the block feature is directly tied with user safety, especially for those who face harassment on the platform or for those who want to create a distance between themselves and someone else for whatever reason, according to the report.
After the notification came, Bluesky wasted no time before using it to advertise itself.
However, it is unknown if competitor Threads from Meta saw a similar spike in user signups.
Apart from this, X’s new updated terms of service are also causing alarm when it comes to training artificial intelligence (AI) models.
“You agree that this license includes the right for us to analyze text and other information you provide … for use with and training of our machine learning and artificial intelligence models, whether generative or another type,” the current version reads.
It also added that disputes with the company will be taken to the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. However, the report added that this court has a judge, Reed O’Connor, who also is a Tesla investor and has presided over multiple lawsuits which involve Musk and his companies.
O’Connor had recused himself from a case involving X where it sued a group of advertisers after the US National Public Radio (NPR) revealed he owned Tesla stocks.
However, he is still overseeing the case between Musk and watchdog organization Media Matters, according to the report.
All the updated terms of service will take effect on November 15th, the report read.
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