X now tells users when local laws have reduced their posts' visibility

This addition to Under the Hood could stave off claims around shadowbanning.

Add Engadget on Google:
Google Discover

Social media network X has added more transparency surrounding some of its visibility practices, which could further reduce claims that the platform engages in shadowbanning. The company announced that its Under the Hood menu will now reveal if X has limited visibility for an account's posts in compliance with local laws. This addition will list whatever country has requested to have access to the content restricted and the posts that drew scrutiny.

The basic requirements for using Under the Hood are that the profile has been active for more than a year and has at least ten posts in the previous month. Anyone meeting those criteria can take advantage of the new features. Under the Hood initially became available in limited testing during August, offering some transparency around the algorithms that power the For You feed on X and any labels applied to posts. It's not the most intuitive data dump, as the information is provided in a dense JSON file, but any chance to see into what has historically been a black box for the platform seems like a positive change.

Recommended