A bug on X, formerly Twitter, was causing numerous posts over the weekend to be flagged as “Sensitive Media,” thwarting the company’s own attempts to make its platform more approachable to advertisers. According to the X Safety account in a post, the issue has now been fixed and the team is working on removing the labels from impacted posts.
Key Takeaway
A bug on X led to numerous posts being incorrectly labeled as “Sensitive Media,” impacting the platform’s efforts to attract advertisers. Despite the bug being fixed, this incident adds to the challenges faced by X in its quest to revamp its monetization strategy.
What Happened?
Over the weekend, a bug on X led to a large number of posts being incorrectly labeled as “Sensitive Media.” This issue hindered the company’s efforts to create a more advertiser-friendly platform. However, X has since addressed the problem and is actively working to remove the erroneous labels from affected posts.
The Impact of the Bug
The bug caused posts that did not contain sensitive content to be marked as “Sensitive Media.” This labeling is typically used for content containing violence or nudity. Users were surprised to find that even harmless media was being flagged as sensitive, a task usually performed by X’s trust and safety team after reviewing reported items. The bug may have been exacerbated by a spam bot, as indicated by a post from Elon Musk.
Elon Musk’s Involvement
Elon Musk, the owner of X, acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a spam/scam bot. However, this explanation contradicted the initial announcement from the X Safety team, which referred to the problem as a bug. Musk later confirmed that all affected posts had been rectified and the incorrect labels removed.
Challenges Faced by X
This incident is the latest in a series of challenges for X as it strives to develop a new monetization strategy following a decline in advertiser interest. Musk’s controversial remarks to advertisers and the reduction of X’s trust and safety team have further complicated the situation. Additionally, the platform has encountered an increase in spam, with automated accounts posing as regular users, despite efforts to combat this issue.
