Hello everyone!

I'm writing this because I've been facing an ongoing issue that I believe many other creators are likely also dealing with: the lack of a fully functional blocking system on itch.io.

The Situation

The current blocking feature on itch.io is severely limited. The 3 main concerns are:

1. Blocked users can still follow and interact with the person who blocked them [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
2.  Creators cannot remove individual followers or prevent specific users from following them [3] [4] [5].
3. Blocked accounts can continuously un-follow and follow, causing harassment through notification spam.

Additional Concerns: 

• Users have no granular control over which activities are visible to followers [5] [6] [7].
• Blocked accounts can still purchase and download games from the blocker.
• Blocked users still appear in search results, potentially exposing creators to unwanted content or interactions [8] [9] [10] [13].

This system fails to protect creators from persistent harassment, allowing blocked individuals to continue their disruptive behavior unchecked.

Why This Needs More Attention

Multiple forum threads discuss the need for improved blocking and privacy features [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10].

Some of these are multiple years old, and yet there hasn't been any improvement yet, even though harassment is against itch.io's terms of service. [11]

It's possible other users already left itch.io because of this. I know I'm not the only one affected by this. Going public with this issue is scary and uncomfortable, it puts me in danger, and frankly, it shouldn’t have to be necessary.

I'm speaking out both for myself, as well as for the many other creators who might be silently suffering from similar issues: we're unable to fully block someone from following us or viewing our activity, but many might be too afraid or ashamed to speak up. We are being left vulnerable and unsure of how to use the platform without being reminded of unwanted attention.

Impact on Creators

The consequences of these inadequate features are significant:

• Creators face ongoing harassment without effective means to stop it.
•  Some users limit their activity on the platform, potentially harming their careers.
•  The fear of unwanted attention can stifle creativity and community engagement. 

Comparison With Competitors

  GameJolt, a competitor platform, offers a more effective blocking feature, highlighting itch.io's shortcomings in this area [12].

"Users you have blocked will be unable to follow you, and you cannot follow them."

The Need For Action

It's crucial for itch.io to please prioritize the safety and well-being of its creator community.

By implementing these changes, the platform can foster a safer environment for all users, encourage more creators to join and actively participate, and maintain its position as a leading platform for independent game developers.

What I’m asking for is a more robust blocking system that gives creators more control over their privacy and safety. Specifically, please consider implementing the following:

Feature Requests

1. The ability to completely block a specific user from following your account.
2.  The ability to remove individual followers.  
3. More nuanced privacy settings that allow creators to select which activity should be shared on the feed
4. Measures to prevent notification spam from repeated following/unfollowing.
5. At the very least, the ability to turn off notifications for new followers.

The time for action is now. Creators deserve a platform where they can share their work without fear of harassment or unwanted attention. Itch.io has the opportunity to lead by example and set a new standard for creator protection in the digital space.

Citations: 

[1] https://itch.io/t/3135579/question-and-concern-using-the-blocking-feature 

[2] https://itch.io/t/1103073/hello-i-have-a-couple-of-questionsconcerns-about-conte...

[3] https://itch.io/t/1579134/can-i-remove-a-follower

[4] https://itch.io/t/2131019/remove-the-follower-feature-is-need

[5] https://itch.io/t/2528716/how-to-get-rid-of-followers-on-itch

[6] https://itch.io/t/1859503/is-there-any-way-to-stop-certain-types-of-my-actions-f...

[7] https://github.com/itchio/itch.io/issues/1212

[8] https://github.com/itchio/itch.io/issues/753

[9] https://itch.io/t/2012130/blocking-needs-improved-functionality

[10] https://itch.io/t/2994767/creators-i-blocked-should-not-appear-in-search-results

[11] https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms

[12] https://gamejolt.com/help-docs/start/block

[13] https://itch.io/t/2186265/add-ignore-option-for-individual-games-or-devs

I'm hoping that by speaking out, I can get enough support to finally see some meaningful change. I understand this is a tricky issue, but it's a larger problem that impacts creators everywhere. We all deserve to feel safe when sharing our work, without the fear of harassment or unwanted attention.

If you’ve faced a similar issue on itch.io or any other platform, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.  Creators of all kinds should be able to feel safe and respected while they share their art with the world.

I sincerely hope that itch.io will take this issue seriously and consider updating its blocking features to help protect creators who contribute so much to this platform. 

Respectfully Yours,

IDOLL_Dev

This is a fantastically written proposition with very clear examples and gets to the point.

I would like any and all in favor to support ant way they can.

Itch.io -- please consider additional controls for the blocking feature and help address these very pertinent privacy and security concerns!

Absolutely agree!

Thank you to everyone who responded and gave support and feedback.

However, I still haven't received any acknowledgement / response from tech support, nor the itch.io admins themselves. 

I still think this is an issue that would ideally be adressed by changing how the current blocking and privacy settings work.

I went ahead and put together this video to attempt to explain why changing the blocking feature to protect users from harassment is essential!

I agree, if you block you have to block everything, it happened to me yesterday to block someone who after just one minute of registering on the site came to follow me, it seemed suspicious to me and I immediately blocked him,But I keep seeing it in the people who follow me, even if I'd like to delete it I can't.

Mistake on my part, as always I always start off badly and early, the person I had blocked signed up after a minute did so to support my mod on Requiem... I apologize.