One sentence summary – Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that it will be discontinuing its privacy-centric feature called Circles, which allowed users to share posts with a select audience, starting from October 31, leaving users uncertain about future privacy-focused sharing options on the platform.
At a glance
- X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, is discontinuing its privacy-centric feature called Circles.
- Circles allowed users to share posts with a select audience.
- From October 31, users will no longer be able to create new posts for their Circle or add individuals to their Circle.
- Users can still remove people from their Circle by unfollowing them.
- The discontinuation of Circles indicates a shift away from privacy-focused features on X.
The details
X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, has declared its intention to discontinue Circles, a privacy-centric feature.
Circles, which allows users to share posts with a select audience, will be deactivated from October 31.
From this date, users will be unable to create new posts for their Circle or add individuals to their Circle.
However, the option to remove people from their Circle will remain available to users.
This can be done by unfollowing the individual in question.
Once a user has been unfollowed, they will lose access to past Circle posts.
Circles was officially introduced in August 2022 as part of Twitter’s suite of features.
The feature was designed to allow users to send tweets to a select group of people, facilitating more intimate sharing of thoughts.
However, a software glitch surfaced in April, leading to private Circle posts being visible to unintended recipients.
This glitch resulted in Circle posts appearing on the “For You” timeline of users who did not follow the original poster.
This caused significant privacy concerns among users.
X responded to the issue promptly, rectifying the glitch and initiating a comprehensive investigation.
The investigation concluded that the glitch was likely due to a failure in the platform’s recommendation algorithm, which did not effectively filter out Circle posts.
Despite resolving the privacy issue, X has decided to discontinue Circles.
No specific reason has been provided for this decision.
This move indicates a shift away from the privacy-focused feature, which had been popular among users seeking more control over their sharing options.
As the October 31 deadline looms, users are being encouraged to modify their posting habits and explore other methods of selective sharing.
X has not announced any immediate plans to introduce a feature similar to Circles.
This leaves users uncertain about future possibilities for privacy-focused sharing on the platform.
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| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – X is shutting down Circles, a privacy-focused tool that allows users to send posts to a select audience. |
| – Circles will be disabled by October 31, according to X. – Users will no longer be able to create new posts limited to their Circle or add people to their Circle. |
| – Users can still remove people from their Circle by unfollowing them. – Once unfollowed, users previously in one’s Circle cannot see past Circle posts. |
| – Circles was officially launched in August 2022 when the platform was called Twitter, before Elon Musk took over the company. – |
| The feature allows users to send tweets to select people and share thoughts with a smaller crowd. – |
| In April, a software glitch exposed private Circle posts to other followers and strangers not part of the Circle. |
| – The glitch caused privacy concerns as Circle posts appeared on the “For You” timeline and reached people who don’t follow the user. |
| – X addressed the issue, fixed the glitch, and conducted an investigation. – |
| The glitch was likely due to the platform’s recommendation algorithm failing to filter out Circle posts. – X is shutting down Circles without providing a reason for the decision. |
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