A recent celestial spectacle has sparked a fresh debate over X's technical infrastructure. Astrophotographer Paul M Smith is publicly appealing to Elon Musk to address a persistent flaw in the way embedded posts are displayed, following a dispute over a stunning Geminids meteor shower clip.
This technical call to action highlights how digital errors can obscure content creators' work and affect intellectual property on the platform.
Photographer's Plea to X Owner
Posting on X, astrophotographer Paul M Smith called on Elon Musk to emulate other major platforms by giving users the ability to limit how their content is embedded. For example, YouTube creators can choose to disable the embedding feature when they upload a new video.
@elonmusk needs to add a feature like every other platform whereby we can turn off post embedding
— Paul M Smith (@PaulMSmithphoto) December 15, 2025
'@elonmusk needs to add a feature like every other platform whereby we can turn off post embedding,' Smith wrote. Yet, while the appeal itself is notable, the circumstances that prompted the event and the request are equally compelling.
The Geminids Video Incident
According to a Grok summary of posts circulating on X, Smith posted his stunning video of the Geminids meteor shower. He then found that accounts, including Milky Way Astronomers and Curiosity, had embedded the content without approval to boost their follower numbers.
We got them to take it down, thanks all. It may seem petty or not worth it, but every second I am a PITA to these content thieves is a second well spent. They are far too bold
— Paul M Smith (@PaulMSmithphoto) December 16, 2025
Smith publicly opposed the unapproved usage, subsequently removing his original post. He gathered support, resulting in DMCA takedown notices being issued by 15 December. He later wrote on X: 'We got them to take it down, thanks all. It may seem petty or not worth it, but every second I am a PITA to these content thieves is a second well spent. They are far too bold.'
Yeah, I just deleted a popular post. Why? I refuse to let these knobjobs embed my clips and grow their following and then go on to make money and spread disinformation, AI junk, etc. please see original in comments, if you like it there, I make a cent, not them 😉. pic.twitter.com/5iLkxqq5Pv
— Paul M Smith (@PaulMSmithphoto) December 15, 2025
Stepping up his efforts, Smith revealed he had deleted a post that had gained massive traction on the site. He did this because he was unwilling 'to let these knobjobs embed my clips and grow their following and then go on to make money and spread disinformation, AI junk, etc. please see original in comments, if you like it there, I make a cent, not them.'
Impact of the Deleted Post
The screenshot he shared showed that the deleted post had over 135,000 views, 9,000 likes, 135 comments, and 1,100 shares. He pointed anyone still looking for the clip to a Facebook link to the original video.
In another post on X, Smith disclosed that the profiles involved had blocked him. To prove this, he posted a screenshot showing the Curiosity account sharing his footage via the Milky Way Astronomers page. The text on that post stated, 'A rare red meteor and Orion,' and it actually named Smith as the person who took the photo.
So they just went and blocked me and instead stole from another source now. Would be a shame if their comment section got spammed about them being theives until my DMCA kicks in pic.twitter.com/OJfaSISPaU
— Paul M Smith (@PaulMSmithphoto) December 15, 2025
Users in the comments section took Smith's side, with one person noting, 'Pretty crappy to steal this video, block everyone and start hiding replies you don't like, as I'm sure you will to mine.' A different user added, 'Lame. Find another way to make money.'
Pretty crappy to steal this video, block everyone and start hiding replies you don’t like, as I’m sure you will to mine
— Isaiah Montgomery (@GumryWX) December 15, 2025
Lame. Find another way to make money
— Landon Moeller (@landon_wx) December 15, 2025
It’s not okay to steal content you worthless grifter
— Isaiah Montgomery (@GumryWX) December 15, 2025
I can't stand these engagement farming serial content stealers
— Northern Skies (@NorthernSkies5) December 16, 2025
One more user posted: 'It's not okay to steal content you worthless grifter.' A further message read: 'I can't stand these engagement farming serial content stealers.'
Silence from the Accused and X Leadership
Interestingly, both accounts facing these accusations have remained silent. Furthermore, Musk has not commented on Smith's post about implementing an embed-blocking feature. Nevertheless, since the X owner frequently engages with such public appeals, many expect him to weigh in shortly.
