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Musk's X Platform Gets Steamy with New Adult Content Policies and Hidden Likes · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
• 0:04
  Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
• 0:07
  the critical crossroads, the Shape, SpaceX, Tesla, X, The
• 0:11
  Boring Company and Neuralink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
• 0:16
  Elon Musk's social media platform X has introduced
• 0:20
  private likes for all users, expanding a feature once
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  exclusive to X Premium subscribers.
• 0:26
  This change aims to boost user privacy and genuine engagement
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  by concealing the identities of users who like posts.
• 0:34
  Now, the move was confirmed by X owner Elon Musk, showing the
• 0:37
  desire to let users like content without fearing backlash.
• 0:42
  Now the private likes feature is explained by X's Director of
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  Engineering is designed to protect users public image and
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  encourage engagement with diverse content without
• 0:52
  judgment. Users will still see who liked
• 0:55
  their posts and the total like count, but others will not see
• 0:58
  this information for the moving away from public like counts as
• 1:02
  a measure of social approval. Now, the update to private Likes
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  is part of a broader push by X to enhance user privacy and
• 1:10
  foster a safer, more inclusive online environment, according to
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  X. And by removing the pressure to
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  conform to public opinion, X hopes to promote more authentic
• 1:21
  interactions on the platform. This change will also see the
• 1:24
  removal of the Likes tab from user profiles.
• 1:28
  Now, X's engineering team announced the feature, stating
• 1:30
  it would better protect users privacy.
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  Users will still be able to see their own liked posts, and the
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  author of a post can see who liked it.
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  Metrics such as like counts will continue to appear under
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  notifications. Maintaining a balance between
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  privacy and feedback on content popularity and the introduction
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  of private likes follows a recent policy update by X
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  concerning adult content. The platform now allows
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  consensually produced and distributed adult content,
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  provided it is properly labeled and not prominently displayed.
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  This policy reflects X's belief in the autonomy of adults to
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  engage with and create content reflecting their own sexual
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  beliefs and experiences. Now, however, X maintains strict
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  prohibitions against non consensual, exploitative or
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  harmful pornographic content and bans the use of adult content
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  for profile pictures, banners and other publicly visible
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  areas. These regulations aim to ensure
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  that while adult content is permitted, it does not
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  compromise user safety or violate community standards.
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  Now, as of Wednesday, the private Likes feature has been
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  implemented, with the Likes tab no longer visible when viewing
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  other users profiles. The change was announced through
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  an update on X and a pop up notification encouraging users
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  to engage more, suggesting that liking more posts will improve
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  their 4U feed. Now, this privacy feature was
• 2:56
  initially introduced for X Premium subscribers in
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  September, allowing users to hide their Likes tab.
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  This option provided users with greater control over their
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  activity visibility, aligning with the broader trend of
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  prioritizing user privacy on social media platforms.
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  And the removal of the Likes tab from public view addresses
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  privacy concerns, especially considering past incidents where
• 3:20
  public figures liked content led to controversies.
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  For instance, in 2017, Ted Cruz, the senator from the US, liked a
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  sexually explicit tweet causing a public relations issues that
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  was later attributed to a staffer.
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  Sounds like a politician, doesn't it?
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  Let's blame it on somebody else. That's my thoughts on this one.
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  It's it's kind of funny though, if you ask me.
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  Now, by making likes, Private X aims to reduce some public
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  mishaps and the necessity for disclaimers like likes and
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  retweets aren't endorsements in user BIOS.
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  This measure ensures that users, especially public figures, can
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  interact with content without fearing unwanted scrutiny.
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  Now, the shift of private likes is part of a series of changes
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  introduced by Elon Musk since acquiring the platform in 2022.
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  These changes include the launch of a paid subscription tier,
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  offering features like more direct messages in the coveted
• 4:13
  blue check mark. Musk's tenure has seen
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  significant policy adjustments aimed at refining user
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  experience on the platform. Now, the broader context of
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  these changes include a move towards enhancing user
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  engagement by reducing performative behaviors.
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  By making likes on X private, it encourages users to interact
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  with content they actually enjoy, free from external
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  judgement, which may contribute to a more positive and authentic
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  user experience. Now, the policy updates here and
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  the feature introductions are a concerted effort by X to balance
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  user privacy with engagement. And while users can still gauge
• 4:49
  the popularity of their posts through likes counts, the
• 4:53
  emphasis on privacy ensures that this feedback does not come at
• 4:56
  the cost of personal exposure or public scrutiny.
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  The changes are also indicative of XS evolving approach to
• 5:02
  content moderation and user interaction, seeking to create a
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  platform where users feel safe and comfortable expressing
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  themselves no matter how they want to do it.
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  This includes accommodating diverse forms of content while
• 5:14
  maintaining strict guidelines to prevent abuse and exploitation.
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  Now the decision to allow adult content with stringent rules on
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  its display and distribution. It demonstrates X's commitment
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  to respecting user autonomy while safeguarding the own
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  community. It's a nuanced approach that
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  seeks to support free expression within a framework that
• 5:36
  prioritizes safety and responsibility going forward.
• 5:45
  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
• 5:47
  I really do appreciate your support.
• 5:49
  If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow
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  button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening
• 5:54
  on right now, I greatly appreciate it.
• 5:57
  It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never
• 5:59
  miss an episode. And each episode is about 10
• 6:02
  minutes or less to get you caught up quickly.
• 6:05
  And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
• 6:08
  to patreon.com/stage Zero and please take care of yourselves
• 6:14
  and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.