X to make likes on posts private to help users protect their ‘public image’

X, formerly known as Twitter, will soon make likes private in order to help users protect their public image. Haofei Wang, Director of Engineering at X, has confirmed the move stating public likes are incentivising wrong behaviour on the platform. According to Wang, “many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be “edgy” in fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image”.

Wang encouraged users to like the posts without worrying who might see it. He concluded his post with a reminder that “For You” section algorithms get better by learning from the users’ activity on the platform, including posts they like.