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Social Media Platform X Working On New Feature To Block Links In Replies
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
The social media platform X is developing a new tool to allow users to block links in replies to their posts in an attempt to reduce spam content and stop the spread of misinformation.
According to Engadget , the independent app researcher Nima Owji was the first reliable source to report the new update last Friday. Owji shared a post with an image announcing the new feature: “X is working on the ability to let you disable links in the replies of your posts!”
X is working on the ability to let you disable links in the replies of your posts! pic.twitter.com/dddP0a8l5w — Nima Owji (@nima_owji) July 19, 2024
As shown in the image shared by Owji—who has also discovered other new features on the platform—, X users will be able to tick a box in case they don’t want other accounts to reply to the post with links. Besides spam and unwanted links, the feature could also prevent people from promoting personal websites or including information sources.
Many users replied to Owji with positive opinions. “It will help a lot to reduce spam bots,” said one user. “That’s great! Let’s keep the conversation on X, not some other site that no one ever goes to,” added another. Multiple doubts and questions like whether this applies to links within the platform—like linking to other users or older posts—or if video links will also be impacted. Some users also wondered if this feature would truly be helpful or not.
No official information has been shared by X, but the Senior Director for Security Engineering at X, Christopher Stanley, confirmed that the feature shared by Owji was built by his team.
Google to Soon Remove Low-Quality Apps from Play Store
- Written by Shipra Sanganeria Cybersecurity & Tech Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Google updated its Spam and Minimum Functionality policy last week to ensure apps in the Play Store meet required functionality standards. According to the company, starting August 31, 2024, apps must offer a “stable, engaging, [and] responsive user experience,” or risk removal from the Play Store.
In announcing the spam policy update, the search engine giant classified the apps targeted for removal into two categories: those with limited functionality and content as well as those that are broken.
For example, apps that fail to install, load, or function properly, including those that crash or are non-responsive, will be removed from the Play Store. Static apps, such as text-only or PDF-only apps, and those with minimal features like a single image or wallpaper, will also be banned.
Additionally, apps with no functionality or those designed to do nothing will be at risk of removal.
“We’re updating the Spam and Minimum Functionality policy to ensure apps meet uplifted standards for the Play catalog and engage users through quality functionality and content user experiences,” Google said on the Policy Announcement page.
According to a Google blog quoted by Android Authority , this is not Google’s first attempt to improve app management on the Play Store. In 2023, the Play Store removed 2.28 million apps for violating listing policies. The blog also noted that Google banned 333,000 “bad” Play accounts that year due to repeated severe policy violations and issues related to fraud and malware.
In addition to its effort to enhance user experience through elimination of low-quality and non-functional apps, the company also aims to boost overall security of its Play Store. In the policy update announced on July 17, the company introduced enhanced malware prevention measures.
These measures include requiring developers to remove third-party code from sources associated with malware and implementing stricter enforcement of the malware policy throughout the platform.
