X is on the verge of unveiling its long-anticipated shadowban alerts, a feature that will notify users about whether their account has been subjected to shadowbanning. The preview of this upcoming feature was shared by Andrea Conway, a designer at X, fulfilling a promise initially made by Elon Musk last year.
What the Shadowban Alerts Entail
Conway presented two mock-ups that provide insight into how the shadowban alerts will function:
- Notifications Tab Alert: Users will receive an alert in their notifications tab, informing them of their account’s potential shadowban status.
- Informational Page: An informational page will clarify why X may limit the visibility of specific accounts. The message explains that an account may contain sensitive content, such as graphic or violent material, nudity, sexual behavior, hateful symbols, or other sensitive content. To accommodate users who prefer to avoid such content, X may cover the account’s posts with a warning. Additionally, the account’s reach and content visibility may be restricted, including exclusion from timelines like “For You” and “Following,” recommended notifications, trends, and search results.
Appeal Option Included
Beneath the informational message, an appeal button will be available, allowing users to request that X reevaluates its initial decision. Users will have the opportunity to challenge their shadowban status if they believe it to be unjust.
Visibility Beyond Notifications Tab
Conway hinted that users would likely be able to view their account status outside of the app’s notifications tab, although she did not provide specific details on how this functionality would work. She also noted that the wording and user interface for the feature have not yet been finalized.
Moving Beyond Individual Tweet Labels
While X had previously introduced a labeling feature for individual tweets that were “visibility limited” due to rule violations, this update goes a step further. It extends the visibility restrictions to the account level, not just specific tweets.
The Context of the Shadowban Issue
This development addresses a long-standing issue for X, and more broadly, Twitter. The company has a history of limiting the reach of accounts that violate its rules, a practice formerly referred to as “visibility filtering” during Twitter’s previous management. However, the company had not publicly disclosed the specifics of this practice, leading to conspiracy theories surrounding “shadowbans.”
The matter gained renewed attention when Elon Musk shared internal emails and records with independent journalists, revealing discussions among Twitter executives regarding visibility filtering. Musk subsequently pledged that a future update would provide users with their true account status, clarifying whether they had been shadowbanned, the reason behind it, and how to appeal the decision.
It’s worth noting that visibility filtering and “shadowbanning” are not precisely the same thing. While Twitter defined shadowbanning as making someone’s content undiscoverable to everyone except the poster without their knowledge, visibility filtering involves hiding tweets from search, recommendations, and other surfaces, without completely concealing them.
While this forthcoming update brings added transparency to the practice, it may also stir controversy. The official release date for the feature remains uncertain, but Conway indicated that X would have more information to share soon.
