Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) enabled video and audio calls for non-premium users last week, and now people are advising others to switch it off.
Over the past few days, users on the platform have been calling for people to turn off the feature or risk getting their IP address exposed.
Heads up, especially creators, the new X feature to accept calls is turned on and it REVEALS YOUR IP ADDRESS by default!
— Lowco (@LowcoTV) March 1, 2024
Apparently we are back in the Skype era. Make sure to at least turn on call privacy. pic.twitter.com/pN4HdZUrIk
According to the platform's user guidelines, the user's IP address "may be visible" to other parties during peer-to-peer calls.
The feature is activated as default and has to be manually switched off to prevent it from being doxed online.
With the platform noticeably being populated by more and more bots and fake accounts, users are at risk of giving their IP addresses to bad actors and hackers.
How to Turn Off X's Audio, Video Call Feature
Due to the possible dangers posed by the feature to digital privacy, many users are sharing step-by-step guides on how to turn off the audio and video call feature.
To do this, just go to "Settings and Privacy" and click the "Privacy and Safety" menu, then access the "Direct Messages" settings. There is an option to turn off the feature there.
Of course, users can still use the feature without the risk of revealing their IP address to their contacts by enabling the "enhanced call privacy" feature. The feature is off by default with this option.
Users can also limit people who can call them to users they follow or those in their address book.
It is not recommended to allow verified users to have access to calls since many of the bots are subscribed to X's premium services.
Related Article : X Tests New Ad Placements, Lures Content Creators With Revenue Split
X Faces Backlash Over New Platform Features
Since Musk took over Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X, the platform and its executives have received strong pushback from many users over the new features it introduced to the platform.
For one, many users expressed strong opposition to making verification a paid service and pushing verified users at the top of recommendations no matter if they are a real account or not.
Recent additions to the platform also gained some negative reactions among its users, particularly the $1 requirement for certain regions to use X's basic features and its faulty outgoing links.
Despite the loud backlash, the platform is also commended for rolling out Community Posts and other verification teams to combat the spread of disinformation on X.
