X tests tool that lets users see if their posts have been 'shadowbanned'

X has begun experimenting with a tool that lets users access data about how the algorithm affects the visibility of their posts. The feature is part of a new "under the hood" section in the app's settings and is currently available only to a small group of testers.

Those with access can download data tied to their account and look for information about "visibility-limiting labels." However, the data is not broken down per post; instead, it provides aggregate statistics from the past month about labels applied to the account and posts, according to details X shared on GitHub. The company's VP of Product, Keith Coleman, called the changes "an unprecedented level of transparency into the X algorithm."

At the same time, X has open-sourced more of its recommendation algorithm that powers the "for you" timeline. The company has previously released versions of the algorithm, but those did not reveal much about how the platform actually works. The new code release's GitHub repo lists numerous labels related to different types of NSFW posts, spam, violence, impersonation, hateful conduct, and a specialized "for emergency use only" label described as an "emergency incident-response label with a custom notice."

There do not appear to be any labels tied to political content, though there is a "civic integrity" flag that restricts a post's visibility to the author's profile only. According to X's policy, this label is used for posts "detected in response to a user report to contain content in violation of X's Civic Integrity policy" and is "reserved for critical escalations."

For example, a video shared by a user under the handle @cb_doge shows that the download produces a .json file, which appears as code at first glance. It reveals that two posts on the account were hit with two separate NSFW labels, causing them to be hidden from non-followers and underage users.

Third-party recommender system experts were able to preview and pressure-test the code release in advance, though it is unclear how they were selected or whether their findings will be made public. Elon Musk recently said that "every line of code touching the X system will be open source and third-party audited" sometime in August. The latest release does not fully accomplish that, as X notes it continues to hold back information that could be used to "game the system" and manipulate the algorithm. X also has not released the underlying code for ads and other systems outside its "for you" timelines. A spokesperson said future updates could include additional labels related to brand safety.