Social media big says it’ll take away content material linking to accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon and different platflorms.
Twitter has introduced that it’ll prohibit what it known as the “free promotion” of different social media platforms, saying it’s going to not permit customers to submit usernames and hyperlinks to their accounts on main social media web sites together with Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon.
The move on Sunday sparked instantaneous criticism from many customers. It was the newest controversial coverage change underneath the possession of billionaire Elon Musk, who took over the social media big in a $44bn deal earlier this yr.
“We know that many of our users may be active on other social media platforms; however, going forward, Twitter will no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms on Twitter,” the corporate mentioned in a press release.
It added that it’ll take away content material linking to accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr. Some of those web sites have been touted as a possible alternative to Twitter.
We acknowledge that a lot of our customers are lively on different social media platforms. However, we’ll not permit free promotion of sure social media platforms on Twitter.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) December 18, 2022
LinkedIn, the skilled networking platform, and TikTok, the brief video platform owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd, weren’t included on the record.
“Accounts that are used for the main purpose of promoting content on another social platform may be suspended,” Twitter added on Sunday. But “cross-posting” to content material from different social media web sites stays permissible.
The announcement comes as many Twitter customers have been threatening to go away the platform in protest of Musk’s actions.
In the previous weeks, the Tesla CEO has slashed the corporate’s workforce, dissolved its Trust and Safety Council and quickly suspended a number of journalists’ accounts over publishing public knowledge in regards to the location of his non-public jet.
“Why?” Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO, wrote on Twitter in response to the brand new rules.
Others additionally slammed the rule, noting that Musk – a self-described “free speech absolutist” – had promised a freer Twitter when he acquired the platform.
“Wow, for this ‘new and improved platform’ that claims [its] biggest priority is Free Speech, there seem to be a LOT of asterisks as to what Free speech means,” actor Josh Gad mentioned in a Twitter submit.
Still, Musk’s mom, Maye Musk, defended the coverage, saying that it makes “absolute sense”.
“When I give a talk for a corporation, I don’t promote other corporations,” she mentioned in a submit. “If I did, I would be fired on the spot and never booked again. Is that hard to understand?”
Several critics identified that Twitter customers are usually not staff of the corporate and are usually not tweeting on behalf of the platform.
On Sunday, Twitter mentioned it will require the deletion of content material in violation of its new insurance policies it’s an “isolated incident”, however promised extra extreme penalties for additional offences.
“If violations of this policy are included in your bio and/or account name, we will temporarily suspend your account and require changes to your profile to no longer be in violation,” Twitter mentioned. “Subsequent violations may result in permanent suspension.”
