News

X Previews Long-Awaited “Shadowban” Alerts

Accounts sharing “sensitive content” will be labeled and restricted from searches and recommendations.

Published

2 years ago

September 27, 2023

x previews long-awaited shadowban alerts

X, formerly Twitter, is moving a stage closer to adding a long-promised feature that notifies users when their account becomes “shadowbanned.” Andrea Conway, one of the developers at X, previewed the upcoming feature first promised by controversial CEO Elon Musk last year.

“We may cover your posts with a warning so people who don’t want to see sensitive content can avoid it. The reach of your account and its content may also be restricted, such as being excluded from the For You and Following timelines, recommended notifications, trends, and search results,” said Conway.

starting transparency somewhere pic.twitter.com/QUNKga1t4I

— Andrea Conway (@ehikian) September 26, 2023

Conway displayed two mock-ups of the update: a notifications tab alert plus an informational page explaining why X may limit the visibility of certain accounts. “We have found that your account potentially contains sensitive media — such as graphic, violent, nudity, sexual behavior, hateful symbols, or other sensitive content,” it explains.

Underneath the message sits an appeal button, which users can click to request X review its initial decision. Conway also explained that users would be able to view their account status outside of the notifications tab but didn’t mention how that might work.

Also Read: The Largest Data Breaches In The Middle East

The feature tackles what has long been a controversial issue for Twitter (now X). For years, the company has limited the reach of accounts breaking its rules, sometimes without the account holders themselves being aware of the throttling.

The forthcoming update should add transparency to X’s decisions but is likely to also create further controversies and even conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Conway said the company “should have more to share on this soon”.

News

Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks

Visa data shows cards and mobile wallets dominate spending, with smartphones now driving a growing share of daily transactions.

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2026

Nour Nasir

saudi digital payments reach 80% as cash use shrinks

Digital payments now account for 80% of all transactions in Saudi Arabia, according to Visa’s latest Where Cash Hides report, another marker of how quickly the Kingdom is moving away from cash.

The share is up four percentage points from a year ago. Around 67% of consumers are now largely non-cash users, paying mainly with cards or mobile wallets. Smartphones are taking a bigger role, with mobile payments making up 16% of transactions.

visa where cash hides saudi arabia 2026

Cash is retreating in routine spending. Eating out dropped 9%. Bill payments fell 8%, as shoppers opt for faster checkouts and app-based payments.

“The data shows a steady move toward digital payments in Saudi Arabia. Such progress is possible only because banks, fintechs, merchants, and technology partners are moving together in the same direction, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.

Also Read: UAE Users Sleep Less, But More Efficiently, ŌURA Data Reveals

Despite the recent findings, it’s important to note that cash hasn’t yet disappeared. It still shows up for tips (39%), peer-to-peer transfers (28%) and rent (14%).

Visa points to security features such as tokenization, along with rewards and cashback, as factors nudging more spending onto cards and phones — a shift that tracks with Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 push to digitize commerce.