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Twitter backlash as ‘Block’ function redesigned; will have ‘notable’ implications for advertisers

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By Steven Raeburn, N/A

December 13, 2013 | 5 min read

Twitter users have responded with almost universal fury at the social media platform’s latest revision.Twitter has modified its block function to allow users who have been blocked to continue to follow the person who has blocked them. The change prohibits the blocking user from having any visible interaction with the person they have blocked, but the filter does not prevent them seeing their posts, retweeting or replying to the person who has blocked them.“In the name of openness, Twitter altered its block function to keep your public information public—no matter who’s using it to harass you,” said Cooper Fleishman of the Daily Dot.“Now, a blocked user doesn’t know he’s been blocked. He can still interact with you, retweet you, send you as many tweets as he or she likes. The difference is that you won’t know it—people you block are just muted in your feed.”Kashmir Hill of Forbes described the change as the digital equivalent of plugging your ears.Twitter spokesperson Jim Prosser said: “We want to reinforce that content in a public sphere is viewable by the world.” “The new block function’s potential for abuse may be notable, but so are its implications for advertisers. We can’t simply cut ties with content we don’t like; all we can do is bind our own hands,” said Fleishman.

The change may have 'notable' implications for advertisers

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