Read receipts should be off by default.
You read a message and cannot reply yet. Should the other person see that you have read it?
For the take
Reading a message is not agreeing to be available.
Against the take
A little clarity saves people from wondering if a message arrived.
The useful wrinkle
The scene
You open a new messaging app. Before you have chosen a profile picture, it has already chosen whether other people will see when you read their messages. This debate is about that starting setting: should reading status be something people volunteer to share, or a feature they must remember to turn off?
Strongest case for Let me disappear
An off-by-default setting lets people choose when to share a little more about their availability. Reading during a busy moment does not create time to answer. The strongest argument is control: a new account should not silently announce a social signal its owner may interpret very differently from their contacts.
Strongest case for Keep me posted
Delivery and reading feedback can reduce uncertainty when people are coordinating a simple plan. Some users consider it an ordinary part of messaging and would miss it without knowing where to switch it on. A default can be useful when its meaning and its controls are clearly explained.
Where the answer changes
The default and the relationship are separate choices. You might willingly share reading status with a small group while preferring it off elsewhere. Ask whether the app explains the setting, whether changing it is easy, and whether people confuse 'read' with 'available.' This poll concerns a design preference, not how a named app currently behaves.
A question worth taking with you
Should an app assume that you want clarity for others, or privacy for yourself?
Opinion game, not a ruling.
This is an editorial starting point for a low-stakes conversation. The result records participating visitor choices; it does not establish what happened, decide anyone's rights, or replace professional advice.
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