Twitter's new update - blocked people can still see your tweets, but it is harder

People can always see your public tweets, even if you've blocked them, by just logging out. Other workarounds include using a third party app to view your tweets, or using a secondary account (or even searching on Google). Twitter's released a new update in the last few days (people can now retweet themselves, which might prove interesting) and they've really tightened up the block function - but claims that 'blocked people can't see your tweets' are, and always will be, incorrect. The only way to stop someone (even one person) from seeing your tweets is to make your account private.

The conflict between people's own experiences of using Twitter, the information Twitter gives about the block (and other news reports) and what is actually possible when using the service is the reason for this update / post.

I used to think I had a reasonable handle on Twitter's block but how it is implemented (how it appears to the user) has become increasingly app- and platform-dependent so it's really not possible to say with much confidence what someone will see if they're blocked / if you've blocked them.

On official Twitter apps such as desktop / browser Twitter and Tweetdeck (owned by Twitter I believe) it seems that you can no longer see anything, no profiles, no tweets in search. If you've blocked someone you'll no longer see their tweets, even if retweeted - this is a new and positive step for most people. But...

Remember that third party apps (Echofon for iPhone, Twicca for Android etc) often behave very differently from official apps and can let people you've blocked see your tweets.

Every time Twitter updates block I see a lot of tweets from people commenting that others now can't see their tweets - but they can, always have been able to and always will be able to. Please let anyone that needs to know, know, thanks.

More detailed information for block function enthusiasts (can't just be me, surely!)
I've done a quick test with a couple of accounts and apps and, thanks to a handy alternative medicine quack who's blocked me and who helpfully provides a testing ground, I present my results below ;) Feel free to share your findings too in the comments... especially if they're different from mine.

Desktop / browser platforms 

Twitter for desktop / browser (ie twitter.com on Firefox)
Profile view: I can't see it if I try and visit, it says they've blocked me.
Search results: their tweets don't show up, and clicking on a reply no longer brings up their tweet in the conversation thread. This may be different on other browsers. A friend reported they could see conversation threads on Chrome (though only on multi-person tweets, not one-to-one conversations) however Twitter's had another update since the latest one and this may no longer be the case.
Embedded RTed links: Clicking on a referred link also fails to show me the tweet and returns "you are not authorised to see that status". In fact the referred tweets don't show up in search, only on profile of sender (tweet shows as 'this tweet is unavailable' and message is "sorry you are not authorized to see this status."

Dabr.co.uk - basic functionality Twitter app
Profile view: not visible
Search results: namesearch: their tweets show up, hashtag search: tweets show up
Embedded RTed links: Not seen specific examples but given their actual tweets are visible anyway...


iPhone apps 
Twitter for iPhone
Profile view: I cannot see the profile of an account that has blocked me, it says that I'm blocked.
Search results: I can't see any tweets they've sent in search results. Clicking on other people's tweets in response to the blocker's tweets also doesn't show their original tweet in conversation.
Embedded RTed links: These are where the blocker's tweet is retweeted as an embedded link. Clicking on these referred links shows "Error loading Tweets (401)" - previously it would have displayed the tweet and any conversation.

Echofon for iPhone
Profile view: I can't see any tweets (the message given is that they've made their account private, though that's not true) but I can see their followers / following list
Search results: their tweets show up in search results. Clicking on the tweet lets me reply to it or retweet it (comment RT only).
Embedded RTed links: Tweets show in search and appear as normal embedded tweets, rather than "this tweet is unavailable". However clicking on the tweet brings up a blank page.

Osfoora for iPhone
Janetter for iPhone
- both show tweets in search results

Android apps
Twitter for Android
I don't have an Android phone so can't test this myself but discussions on Twitter suggest that profiles are now properly blocked. I don't know about search results or conversation threads. Let me know, thanks.

Fenix for Android
I'm seeing reports on Twitter that this no longer shows tweets

Twicca for Android
Reports on Twitter suggest that tweets from blocked accounts are still visible. 


Conclusion
It's now a lot harder for someone to see your tweets if you've blocked them (or for you to see the tweets of someone who's blocked you). But it's not impossible and I often wonder if making it look as if it's harder just misleads people a bit. If your account is public, it's visible to everyone. 

Spambots that favourite random tweets on Twitter - a possible (gradual) solution

I am a bit surprised that @Twitter's not suspended these accounts. They are not necessarily posting spam (mostly sharing identical tweets with photos of underdressed people) but I don't think they're contributing that much to Twitter. I've blocked all of them after they've favourited tweets of mine. I assume favouriting is to make the account look like it's engaging in 'normal Twitter behaviour'. But perhaps I am just a terrible prude ;)

There are instructions below if you want to block them in one go. I've used TweeterID to convert their Twitter names to their Twitter ID, which Twitter uses for blocklists.

There seem to be hundreds of them but here's a selection:
https://twitter.com/JuliaOconnoztj
https://twitter.com/RubyFrazieratw
https://twitter.com/LilianaMaxw8lj
https://twitter.com/SydneyCrawfdo1
https://twitter.com/Teahyunggi32172
https://twitter.com/BossSaranin
https://twitter.com/ValyaChekinev [Google search results for 'her' image - http://preview.tinyurl.com/orwp7pl]
https://twitter.com/1980Urban
https://twitter.com/v_ignatenkov - not awfully safe for work ;)
https://twitter.com/ryasnovl - OK this one might just be a webcam sort of thing
https://twitter.com/MissVariychuk
https://twitter.com/LadySlablyuk
https://twitter.com/zalymova
https://twitter.com/phili_trask
https://twitter.com/robyn_rockin1
https://twitter.com/1973Dolganova
https://twitter.com/kovaltsovl
https://twitter.com/1997_voronina

INSTRUCTIONS for spamblock2015 file
Save a copy of https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4000104/spamblock2015.csv
Delete Column B - all that should remain is a single column of numbers

Using the desktop version of Twitter log in and go to Settings / Blocked: https://twitter.com/settings/blocked
Click the 'Advanced options' link then 'import a list' then 'Attach a file to upload' - upload the file. To be honest I've no idea what happens after that!

Every so often I'll update the file with the new ones I block, filename won't change. Assuming it works if you check back and download then upload a later version of the file it will overwrite and you'll be blocking more of the spammers. I'm hoping that this might get Twitter to start suspending these accounts (in which case the list of accounts to block will actually reduce).

spamblock2015.csv file last updated 20 July 2015, 14:45 BST (prev 17 July 2015, 22:20).

Twitter and trolls - a small, incidental suggestion (yes of course it's about the block function)

by @JoBrodie, brodiesnotes.blogspot.com

Yesterday I read with interest that Twitter's CEO, Dick Costolo, had been quoted as saying to colleagues^(1,2) that the company could do a lot more to tackle persistent irritants on Twitter. Despite some cynicism and wariness many commenters seem buoyed by the tone and urgency of the acknowledgement and of Costolo's apology.

My small contribution won't solve much but I think it would make the limitations of the block clearer to Twitter's users. An understanding of the limitations is important because many users believe (wrongly) that the block offers a stronger protection against annoying people than it actually does.

From the hundreds of tweets saying some variant of "if you block someone they can no longer see your tweets" it is clear that the block's limitations are not obvious. 

How did people come to that (wrong) conclusion?
Since an update in early December those who are using Twitter's official platforms will now see an empty page when they click on the profile of someone who's blocked them. It says 'You are blocked from following @XYZ and viewing @XYZ's Tweets. Learn more'.

This has quite understandably given many users the impression that the people they've blocked would see the same thing when visiting their profile and led to the understanding that someone can no longer see your tweets if you block them.

I have two suggestions
1. Add some extra information to the 'learn more' help page, and to the article it links to about the limitations
2. When a user blocks someone, add a popup* that includes some extra information about the block and its limitations

*with a 'got it, don't show me this again' option

What's this information that's currently missing?
While many people do know this a fairly large amount of people don't seem to be aware that if you block someone they can still see your tweets...

• by searching for from:yourname (even if they're logged in) 
• via a hashtag search, or if someone else RTs your tweets into their timeline 
• by using non-Twitter apps* (such as Echofon, Janetter, Osfoora, Tweetdeck etc) which will show profiles
• by logging out or using a second account or a private browsing session

For most people a block works fine to stop someone's tweets from arriving, but if you really want to avoid them reading your tweets then a private account is probably more suitable. It is not possible to prevent one person from being able to read your tweets.

 *perhaps Twitter will require these third-party apps to observe the block function in future updates - however not everyone automatically updates their apps (and there are plenty of other workarounds).

1) Twitter CEO: 'We suck at dealing with abuse and it's all my fault' Jezebel (4 Feb 2015) 
2) Dick Costolo says trolls are costing Twitter users The Verge (4 Feb 2015)

Mute, block, private - the three Twitter levels of peace and quiet, but not much else

The three Twitter levels of shushing people are

1. Mute

Muting someone just stops their tweets from appearing in your timeline. You'll still receive any tweet they send you as an @mention or a direct message. Muting is useful for temporarily shushing people who are live-tweeting an event that you're not interested in while keeping all other lines of communication open. They won't know they're muted unless you tell them.

Can you see their tweets? Only the ones where they've tagged your name
Can they see your tweets? Yes (unless they've muted you)

2. Block 
Blocking someone means you don't see their tweets. None of their tweets will be shown to you including their broadcast tweets and any tweet that mentions you. They also can't follow you or interact with your tweets. It is possible that you'll still see something of them if someone else that you follow retweets one of their tweets. All of your tweets are still entirely visible to them however, blocking just means they can't communicate with you on Twitter.

Can you see their tweets? Yes but on official Twitter you may need to click a 'view tweets' button (see first picture below)
Can they see your tweets? Yes, but it may take more effort depending on what platform they use (in second picture I've taken the screenshot from Twitter desktop which doesn't show profile, but Echofon on iPhone does).

What it looks like when you block someone, on Twitter

What it looks like when someone blocks you
(on Twitter, tweets visible on other apps!)

They may know they're blocked if they look at your profile on official Twitter sites (desktop or Twitter for smartphone / tablets) but might not notice if they're using third party apps.

Blocking someone does not stop them from seeing your tweets however and even if they're shown a blank profile your tweets will still show up in searches. You can see screenshots of what a blocked account can still see (I tested it with a spare account) here.

If you have blocked someone know that they can see your tweets by searching for from:yourname.

Think of the Twitter block more as a "continue to site" hurdle rather than "you shall not pass" barrier. Most apps still show a blocker's tweets to a blockee (even when logged in) and blockees can always search for a blocker's tweets (even if they're logged in), or just log out.

Rather unfortunately an awful lot of people have taken the "you are blocked from following X and viewing X's tweets" to mean that "if you block someone on Twitter they can't see your tweets", which isn't true. 

2a. The missing impossible level
This is the one that everyone seems to want - the ability to really block one or more people from ever seeing your tweets while making all your tweets publicly available to everyone else - but of course it's impossible. Anyone, if blocked, can use another app, use another browser or log out, or search for the tweets of someone who's blocked them.

It is impossible to stop someone from seeing your tweets unless you make your tweets private and trust everyone that you've allowed to follow you.

3. Private
This hides your tweets from everyone except those accounts that you've allowed to follow you. Your tweets will not show up in search results and tweets you send to people who aren't following you won't be seen by them.

Can you see their tweets? Yes
Can they see your tweets? No (unless you give them permission to follow you). Remember that your followers can share your tweets by manually retweeting them (comment RT) or by taking a screenshot (or, worst case scenario, having their account phished or hacked).

If you want to see how much people can infer from your conversations, even though they can't see your tweets, run a search for to:yourname or just yourname. In fact I'd recommend this to anyone with a private account.

Twitter's updated its block function but nothing has really changed

It appears that Twitter has rolled out a new version of its block. If you view, on Twitter (desktop) or Twitter for iPhone (I assume it's similar for other smartphones), the profile of someone who's blocked you you'll get a message saying:

"You are blocked from following @Name and viewing @Name's Tweets. Learn more"

It looks like you can't view their tweets and suggests that if you block someone they won't be able to see your tweets either. This is incorrect.

If someone's tweets are public then anyone can view those tweets by using any of the following methods
(a) using a different browser
(b) logging out of the blocked account and using the same browser while logged out
(c) logging into a different account
(d) using a different smartphone app - at the moment Echofon for iPhone lets me see the profiles of a couple of homeopathy quacks who've blocked me
(e) search for their tweets (or if they're using a hashtag you'll still see their tweets there) on desktop Twitter or with Hootsuite / Tweetdeck.

If you want to ensure that someone cannot see your tweets you'd need to
(a) make your account private and

(b) be careful who you allow to follow you (is it them under a different name?)
(c) hope none of your followers get phished or hacked, or leak your information

Remember that anyone can see tweets sent to you (by searching for to:yourname or @yourname on Twitter dot com, search).

What does a block do then?
It's acts as a mute, it's really nothing more than that.

If you block me any tweet I send you won't show up in your timeline or mentions, so I am effectively silenced. You'll be able to go looking for my tweets if you want to but they won't be delivered to you.

If I look at your profile I'm told I can't see your tweets but I can use the methods above to see them, as you can if I block you.

Blocking someone doesn't ever stop them from seeing your tweets. It just means you don't have to see theirs if you don't want to (and they can't favourite or retweet you - well they can manually retweet you).

You can see all the accounts that you have blocked at https://twitter.com/settings/blocked

Read more about private Twitter accounts

How to view private tweets - and what to be aware of to protect your account (7 December 2013)

Don't assume that your private Twitter account is all that private (7 December 2012)

Read more about Twitter blocks
What happens if you block someone on Twitter? What happens if they block you? (7 June 2012, updated 4 January 2014 and again today (12 December 2014).

Twitter (desktop version) has a new Mute option for users, what does it do?

by @JoBrodie, brodiesnotes.blogspot.com


This post refers to using Twitter on the desktop Twitter.com version - things may well be quite different on Twitter for Smartphone apps and other apps (eg Echofon, which I use).

Yesterday I spotted, while pruning spam followers, that Twitter's added some extra options to the block function, and that I also have the additional option of muting people.

Mute

If you mute someone then their tweets don't show up in your timeline but they do show up in your mentions. This means that people probably won't know you've muted them, because their messages to you still get through. You can also find their other messages by visiting their profile page or searching for messages they've sent.

I've used my test account to mute myself. In the screenshot above you'd click on the snowflake / gear wheel icon and choose 'Mute this user' from the options. Once done you'll see a red icon of a muted speaker.

Block
I block a lot of spam followers or people who've followed me for what I think are irrelevant reasons (because I once mentioned a word in a tweet that they're interested in). You used to be able to block 'without blame' but now Twitter requires you to fill in one of four options before you can block them, I don't really like this but that's what's changed.

 

This means that blocking someone is a little bit harsher than it was previously. It still means that none of their tweets will show up in your timeline or mentions (though you can still view their profile as they can view your tweets through your profile).

The big difference is that by blocking them you are also reporting them to Twitter, which may not be what you want. 

So there's no way of removing someone from your follower list without potentially getting them in trouble, which seems a shame.

Remember: blocking someone on Twitter never stops them from reading your tweets, it only stops tweets showing up in timelines / mentions.

Further reading
What happens if you block someone on Twitter? What happens if they block you? (4 Jan 2014) - although the pictures are now slightly out of date the functionality hasn't changed.

Answers to common search questions
I'll put them here when I have a look at my Google Analytics logs - don't fret I can't tell who searched for what, meanwhile here's what Google suggests in its autofill.

1. Can I tell if someone's muted me?
1. How do you know if someone's muted you on Twitter?
No. To the best of my knowledge this information is not available to users (though presumably Twitter must know, obviously, so that it can avoid delivering the tweets).  See also answer to 2.

2. If I mute someone on Twitter will they know?
No. See answer to 1.  Additionally I am not aware of any notification sent when someone mutes someone else, I don't think Twitter wants to make this information available.

If you visit their profile page you'll see the red 'silenced speaker' icon (see first picture) so you'll be able to find out if you've muted someone (assuming you forgot). I suppose the only way they'd ever know is if they played around on your computer while you were logged in to Twitter, and visited their own profile (!), or you sent them a screenshot ;-)

3. Who muted me on Twitter?
It's not possible to tell.