Twitter bans ‘free promotion’ of other social media platforms

Social media big says it would take away content material linking to accounts on Fb, 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 would now not enable customers to publish 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 big in a $44bn deal earlier this yr.

“We all know that lots of our customers could also be lively on different social media platforms; nonetheless, going ahead, Twitter will now not enable free promotion of particular social media platforms on Twitter,” the corporate stated in an announcement.

It added that it'll take away content material linking to accounts on Fb, Instagram, Mastodon, Reality Social, Tribel, Publish and Nostr. A few of these web sites have been touted as potential replacements for Twitter.

We acknowledge that lots of our customers are lively on different social media platforms. Nonetheless, we'll now not enable free promotion of sure social media platforms on Twitter.

— Twitter Help (@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 checklist.

“Accounts which might be used for the primary objective 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 depart 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 briefly 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, 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] greatest precedence is Free Speech, there appear to be a LOT of asterisks as to what Free speech means,” actor Josh Gad stated in a Twitter publish.

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

“After I give a chat for a company, I don’t promote different companies,” she stated in a publish. “If I did, I'd be fired on the spot and by no means booked once more. Is that arduous to know?”

A number of critics identified that Twitter customers are usually not workers of the corporate and are usually not tweeting on behalf of the platform.

On Sunday, Twitter stated 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 identify, we'll briefly droop your account and require modifications to your profile to now not be in violation,” Twitter stated. “Subsequent violations might end in everlasting suspension.”