Twitter/X, a company founded by Elon Musk, is set to roll out a software update that will inform users if their accounts have been “shadowbanned,” nine months after the announcement. A preview of the upcoming feature was offered by designer Andrea Conway, showcasing mock-ups of what users can expect. The update will include an alert in the notifications tab, informing users that a label has been added to their account that may impact its reach. Accounts with sensitive content may have their posts covered with a warning and may also face restricted reach. Users can appeal against these labels if they believe they were applied inappropriately.
While Twitter has previously limited visibility of individual posts that violated its rules, this marks the first time they are implementing restrictions on entire accounts. It’s important to note that limiting visibility of posts is not synonymous with shadowbanning, as shadowbanning refers to deliberately making an individual’s content undiscoverable to everyone except the person who posted it. Musk had accused Twitter of shadowbanning and, after taking control of the site, provided records of Twitter executives discussing visibility filtering to selected journalists. Musk had previously announced that Twitter is working on a software update to reveal users’ account status and reasons for shadowbanning, allowing them to appeal. The language and user interface details shared by Conway are subject to potential changes before the final release of the update.