Twitter bans ‘free promotion’ of other social media platforms

Social media large says it’s going to take away content material linking to accounts on Fb, Instagram, Mastodon and different platflorms.

Twitter has introduced that it’s going to prohibit what it referred to as the “free promotion” of different social media platforms, saying it’s going to now not permit customers to submit usernames and hyperlinks to their accounts on main social media web sites, together with Fb, Instagram, and Mastodon.

The transfer on Sunday sparked instantaneous criticism from many customers. It was the newest controversial coverage change beneath the possession of billionaire Elon Musk, who took over the social media large in a $44bn deal earlier this 12 months.

“We all know that a lot of our customers could also be energetic on different social media platforms; nonetheless, going ahead, Twitter will now not permit free promotion of particular social media platforms on Twitter,” the corporate mentioned in a press release.

It added that it’s going to take away content material linking to accounts on Fb, Instagram, Mastodon, Fact Social, Tribel, Submit and Nostr. A few of these web sites have been touted as potential replacements for Twitter.

LinkedIn, the skilled networking platform, and TikTok, the quick video platform owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd, weren’t included on the record.

“Accounts which are used for the primary goal of selling content material on one other social platform could also be suspended,” Twitter added on Sunday. However “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.

Previously weeks, the Tesla CEO has slashed the corporate’s workforce, dissolved its Belief and Security Council and quickly suspended a number of journalists’ accounts over publishing public information in regards to the location of his personal jet.

“Why?” Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO, tweeted in response to the brand new laws.

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] largest precedence is Free Speech, there appear to be a LOT of asterisks as to what Free speech means,” actor Josh Gad mentioned in a Twitter submit.

Nonetheless, Musk’s mom, Maye Musk, defended the coverage, saying it makes “absolute sense”.

“Once I give a chat for a company, I don’t promote different firms,” she mentioned in a submit. “If I did, I’d be fired on the spot and by no means booked once more. Is that tough to grasp?”

A number of critics identified that Twitter customers should not staff of the corporate and should 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 and deal with it as an “remoted incident”, however promised extra extreme penalties for additional offences.

“If violations of this coverage are included in your bio and/or account title, we are going to quickly droop your account and require adjustments to your profile to now not be in violation,” Twitter mentioned. “Subsequent violations could lead to everlasting suspension.”