The Lock on some Twitter accounts means that the user has protected their account. Most users do this to restrict who can view their content, control their followers, and restrict malicious people from associating with them.
If you regularly use Twitter, now known as X, you might wonder what the lock icon near a person’s username means. I’m sure you have stumbled upon many accounts with the padlock icon and wondered why they have it. Well, don’t worry, we will provide an answer to that.
If you asked many people, “What does the lock mean on Twitter?” you might get some funny answers. However, in this article, we will put you in the light of what the sign means.
Online privacy is crucial,; if you need to achieve that, you can consider locking your Twitter account. When you lock or protect your tweets, a lock icon will appear next to your Twitter username/X username.
What Does The Lock Icon Mean On Twitter?
The lock/padlock symbol means that the account has been locked, therefore posing some restrictions to non-followers. Most Twitter users lock their accounts in an attempt to protect it. Therefore only authorized people can be able to access the Twitter or X account and see the content.
Most people lock their accounts to reduce getting spammy or abusive comments. If you know you are at risk, locking an account would be best. However, this is mostly recommended for personal accounts because if you have a business account and lock it, it will prevent you from attracting potential customers.
Do You Have To Set The Lock Symbol Option?
Yes, by default in Twitter or X, all the tweets, retweets, or comments are public, but if you need to make them private, you might need to lock your account to reduce the number of people who can view your content.
However, even if you lock your account, if someone retweets your content or follows you, they can access all the information. If people want to view your Tweets when you have set the lock, they will need to send a follower request.
What Are The Benefits Of Locking Your Twitter Account?
Certain benefits come with locking your Twitter account:
1. Restrict who can view your comments
By locking your Twitter account, it restricts who can see your comments. For example, you can choose for your comments to be seen by a group of people or the public. The group of people may include people in the same industry as you or family and friends.
In as much as locking your account is safe, someone may still screenshot your tweets, retweets, or posts & share with others. Therefore, you still need to be careful about what you post.
2. Reduce malicious people from entering your space
Certain X or Twitter users normally have a bad motive. They may follow you and have some malicious reasons for doing so. Therefore, the lock restriction, restricts who can follow you and who you can follow back. You wouldn’t want to be associated with people with malicious motives, would you? Also, this will prevent them from commenting on Tweets and painting a bad picture about you.
3. Control your following
You can also decide to lock your Twitter account to regulate those people who can follow you. You may want to focus on certain people in a specific industry and controlling who you permit to follow you can help. Additionally, if you are working on something, you can consider locking your account to focus on your current affairs.
What Are The Disadvantages of Locking Your Twitter Account?
Locking your Twitter account may prevent followers interested in your content from following you due to the long process of sending a Twitter follow request. Also, checking the request may be time-consuming to can you might even forget to approve. Also, if your account is locked, and you reply to another user, they can only view it if they follow you.
Therefore, instead, you can decide to block the users who you don’t want. They won’t be able to follow you or see your tweets.
How To Protect Your Twitter Posts
If you want to protect your posts these are the steps to take:
Step 1: Access your X/Twitter account
Step 2: Click on the three dots on the left sidebar. Proceed to select settings and support.
Step 3: Click on Privacy and Safety.
Step 4: Click on Audience, media, and tagging. Tick the option to protect your posts and other account information. Therefore, only people who follow you can see your content.
That’s it.
Protect Your Tweets On Your Twitter Account
If you regularly use Twitter and want to share information with your followers only, then locking your account would be the best option. However, if you are a brand, and looking forward to attracting a larger audience, that wouldn’t be the best option since many people won’t be able to see your tweets or retweets and associate with you through comments or any other modes.
However, if you need to protect your account for a while, you can lock it to prevent any engagements for a while. However, this should be the last option to prevent losing valuable followers or potential followers.
