About public and protected Posts

 

What is the difference between public and protected posts?

 

  • When you sign up for X, your posts are public by default; anyone can view and interact with your posts. Should you choose to protect your posts, you can do so through your account settings. Learn more protecting your posts
  • If you protect your posts, you’ll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny. Accounts that began following you before you protected your posts will still be able to view and interact with your protected posts unless you block them. Learn more about blocking.

 

Who can see my posts?

 

  • Public posts (the default setting): Are visible to anyone, whether or not they have a X account.
  • Protected posts: Only visible to your X followers. Please keep in mind, your followers may still capture images of your posts and share them.

Note: If you have authorized a third-party application to access your account, that third-party application may be able to see your protected posts. Keep in mind that when you choose to share content on X with others, this content may be downloaded or shared.

When you protect your posts

 

  • You’ll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny.
  • Your posts, including permanent links to your posts, will only be visible to your followers.
  • Your followers will not be able to use the repost icon  to repost or repost with comment.
  • Protected posts will not appear in third-party search engines (like Google search).
  • Your protected posts will only be searchable on X by you and your followers.
  • Replies you send to an account that isn’t following you will not be seen by that account (because only your followers will see your posts).

Note: When you share a link in a protected post, it is automatically processed and shortened to an http://t.co link. Please note that anyone with a t.co shortened link will be able to navigate to the destination URL.

What happens when I change my posts from public to protected?


If you at one time had public posts (before protecting your posts), those posts will no longer be public on X, or appear in public X search results. Instead, your posts will only be viewable and searchable on X by you and your followers.

 

Note: posts sent before you changed your settings to Protect your posts may still be seen by someone who had the post on their Home timeline before the change. However, they won’t be able to interact with the post or see its details.

What happens when I change my posts from protected to public?


Unprotecting your posts will cause any previously protected posts to be made public.

 

What happens when I share media in a protected post?


If your posts are protected, only your followers will be able to see your media in your posts. Please note that your followers may download or re-share links to media that you share in protected posts. Links to media shared on X are not protected. Anyone with the link will be able to view the content.

 

What happens when my posts are protected but still show in search engine results?

 

  • After you protect your posts, only you and your followers can read your updates or see your posts in X search.
  • If you at one time had public posts (before protecting your posts), those posts will no longer be public or appear in public X search results, unless someone had the post added to their Home timeline before you changed your settings to Protect your posts.* However, unprotecting your posts will cause any previously protected posts to be made public.
  • Find out how to remove your updates from Google search. X does not have the ability to remove content on websites other than X.com.

 

What If my posts have never been public?

 

  • If your posts have never been public (i.e., you've always had your posts protected in your settings), your updates should never show up in X search or other public search engines.
  • If they are showing up in search results, change your password immediately and revoke untrusted third-party applications. You can also file a report with the following information:
    • When this started happening
    • Where you've seen your private updates posted (X search, Google, etc.)
    • List any/all third-party applications you use

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