Twitter on Sunday, announced that it will no longer allow users to link to a number of rival social media websites, including Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon from their accounts.
The announcement follows series of controversial changes being effected by the social media company’s new owner Elon Musk. Twitter said under the new rule called “promotion of alternative social platforms policy”, it will no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms.
“We recognize that many of our users are active on other social media platforms. However, we will no longer allow free promotion of certain social media platforms on Twitter,” it said.
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https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1604531261791522817?s=20&t=ok9OFHLAhJV3Lql4N2lr9A
Twitter added: “Specifically, we will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms and content that contains links or usernames for the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post.”
The microblogging app explains that it still allows cross-posting content from any social media platform, and that posting links or usernames to social media platforms not listed above are also not in violation of the policy. However, Musk once again has come under heavy criticism by both free speech advocates and Twitter users, including the platform’s former founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.
imo this is embarrassingly bad https://t.co/Jblq78xjzs
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) December 18, 2022
Dorsey had responded to the policy asking “why?” and in a separate tweet said it “doesn’t make sense.”
The policy also prohibits free promotion of 3rd-party social media platforms (linking out) or without URL. For example: “follow me @username on Instagram” or “facebook.com/username.” Twitter said Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post, Nostr and 3rd-party social media link aggregators such as linktr.ee, lnk.bio are all prohibited platforms.
“Accounts that are used for the main purpose of promoting content on another social platform may be suspended,” Twitter said. It added that “we allow paid advertisement/promotion for any of the prohibited social media platforms,” and allows users to post content to Twitter from the prohibited platforms.
The policy has been widely criticized. But Musk on Sunday responded to the pouring criticism saying that “casually sharing occasional links is fine, but no more relentless advertising of competitors for free, which is absurd in the extreme.”
“Twitter should be easy to use, but no more relentless free advertising of competitors. No traditional publisher allows this and neither will Twitter,” he said.
An hour later, Musk said that the “policy will be adjusted to suspending accounts only when that account’s primary purpose is promotion of competitors, which essentially falls under the no spam rule.”
The “promotion of alternative social platforms policy” is so far, the most controversial major policy introduced by Twitter under Musk. The billionaire entrepreneur will find the policy hard to implement as it violates a provision of the European Digital Markets Act, which prohibits gatekeeper platforms from preventing consumers from linking up to businesses outside their platforms.
The European Union had on Friday threatened to sanction Twitter over its decision to suspend the accounts of some journalists who cover Twitter for doxxing.
Musk has been under intense criticism over free speech since he took over at Twitter, with many saying that he only promotes freedom of speech, which he claimed his acquisition of the social media company has been about, when it suits him. But he apologized on Sunday for the promotion of alternative social platforms policy.
“Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again,” Musk, who has been trying his hand on many changes to make Twitter profitable since he paid $44 billion for the social media platform, said.