Users have grown weary of changes made to X — formerly known as Twitter — since Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform. Sifting through the endless stream of updates is now harder with less content moderation in place, and it may soon become more dangerous. On Friday, Musk posted an update outlining his plan to eliminate users’ ability to block others on the platform. Now, NBC reporter Scott Budman is pointing out that the move could be challenged by Apple and Google, which require social media app developers to include a block feature to prevent abuse.

The controversy initially began on August 18 when Tesla Owners Silicon Valley posted an update on X, asking other users if there is ever a reason to block another person, rather than mute. Musk replied from his own account, proclaiming that blocking will not be a feature in the future, with the exception of direct messages. This prompted Budman to post an update, pointing out that both Apple and Google require social media apps to have a block feature. The measure is designed to prevent abuse between users.

Upon posting his update, Musk received a wide range of responses. Jack Dorsey, former owner and co-founder of X, supported the move with an update of his own and vouched for the mute feature instead. Other users made the same point as Budman, citing policies within app stores that require a block functionality. Some shared their previous experiences with harassment on the platform, highlighting the necessity of the block feature. Whether Musk will permanently do away with blocking — which he says “makes no sense” — has yet to be seen.

If it happens, it will be just one of many questionable changes the Tesla mogul has made since acquiring the platform. When Musk officially acquired X — then known as Twitter — back in 2022, he immediately fired its policy chief, Vijaya Gadde. The move was speculated to have been made in order to cut back content moderation across the platform. At the time, Musk also said he would focus on eliminating bots, which many users cited as a reason to preserve the block feature while continuing to be spammed.

Although Musk noted that the elimination of the block feature wouldn’t affect direct messages, recent changes to the platform have already made DMs more difficult to navigate. If you aren’t a paying Twitter Blue member, for example, you can no longer send a DM to another user if you haven’t exchanged messages in the past. The ability to send message requests is also now reserved for Twitter Blue users only. Many perceived the move to be another tactic to boost premium subscriptions, leading to further aggravation.

The elimination of the block feature could not only result in more irked users, but a rise in abuse. Without this layer of protection, it’s not difficult to understand why some users may leave the platform altogether.