X (Twitter) removes 'Like' tab from profiles

In a move that has since gotten X users debating, X (formerly Twitter) announced this week that 'Likes' are going private for all users by default.

The restriction began as early as Wednesday when users began receiving a pop-up message on the site that read: “We are making Likes private for everyone to better protect your privacy.”

This means that posts you have liked will only be visible to you, away from the prying eyes of the public.

Additionally, you will still be able to see who likes your posts, however, the identities of those who liked someone else’s post will be hidden from public view. In fact, the Likes tab will be removed from user profiles altogether.

Metrics such as Like counts will also remain visible, but the social element of seeing who else endorsed a particular post disappears. This functionality was previously exclusive to X Premium subscribers, but now it's the default setting for everyone.

Confirmed by X's engineering team in a post on X, they explained the change as a way to "better protect your privacy."

Haofei Wang, X's director of engineering also echoed this sentiment. Wang explained that public Likes can discourage users from engaging with "edgy" content for fear of judgment. Making Likes private could potentially create a more open and inclusive environment.

Meanwhile, company CEO Elon Musk on his X timeline, has also said that it was “important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked.

But is this a genuine effort to protect user privacy, as X claims, or is there a more strategic motive at play?

Before now, Musk had reportedly told engineers he wanted to de-emphasize the Like and Retweet buttons, placing greater focus on post impressions (views). Some see this as evidence that Musk believes 'Likes' hold less value than engagement through views. Of note, making 'Likes' private might be a significant step in that direction.

The timing of the implementation also adds another layer of intrigue. This privacy update follows X's recent policy update allowing adult content. In the update, the platform will now permit consensual pornography, as long as it's properly labeled and not prominently displayed.

Whether X's move is truly about privacy or a calculated business decision remains to be seen. One thing is clear, users like me will now have to adapt to the new normal.