Twitter's latest efforts to eliminate bots under Elon Musk's leadership have inadvertently impacted numerous public service accounts, hindering their ability to automatically post crucial news and events.
Twitter's decision to remove a transgender-specific protection from its Hateful Conduct Policy has raised concerns and put the platform in conflict with other platforms that maintain policies to protect their transgender users.
Twitter's recent modifications to its verification system have generated confusion and backlash among users, with prominent users voicing opposition to the idea of paying for verification.
These recent controversial policies implemented by Twitter have sparked discontent and raised questions about the platform's priorities and commitment to its users, prompting many to question the motives behind these decisions.
It remains to be seen whether the platform will address the concerns raised or continue down its current path as users and experts continue to scrutinize Twitter's policies.
Twitter’s latest efforts to eliminate bots under Elon Musk’s leadership have inadvertently impacted numerous public service accounts, hindering their ability to automatically post crucial news and events.
As Twitter transitions to Musk’s new high-priced paid API system, many of these accounts have lost their API access, which previously allowed them to post in an authorized way on the platform.
Affected accounts include multiple National Weather Service accounts, New York City’s MTA, San Francisco’s BART, and various entertainment-related automated accounts.
The new basic $100 per month API plan may not offer the access required by some of these services, and the next tier starts at an astounding $42,000 per month.
This sudden change has left indie developers feeling frustrated, with some forced to shut down their Twitter-based apps due to the exorbitant starting price for Enterprise API access.
Twitter’s refusal to offer intermediate-priced tiers between the $100 and $42,000 range has raised questions about Musk’s true intentions for the platform’s third-party ecosystem and whether the goal was to broadly eliminate it.
Transgender-Specific Protection Removed from Hateful Conduct Policy
GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has expressed its concerns following Twitter’s decision to remove a transgender-specific protection from its Hateful Conduct Policy.
The rule, implemented in 2018, prohibited targeted misgendering and deadnaming of transgender individuals.
The rollback puts Twitter in conflict with platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and Meta, which maintain policies to protect their transgender users.
This change occurred as Elon Musk was scheduled to address advertising industry executives during the POSSIBLE conference.
A February 2023 poll of LGBTQ Twitter users revealed that since Musk took over as CEO, 60% of respondents experienced an increase in abusive and hateful speech on the platform.
Twitter’s refusal to offer intermediate-priced tiers between the $100 and $42,000 range has raised questions about Musk’s true intentions for the platform’s third-party ecosystem and whether the goal was to broadly eliminate it.
Verification Changes Create Confusion and Backlash
Twitter’s recent modifications to its verification system have generated confusion and backlash among users.
The platform introduced color-coded verification marks and initially offered blue checks to those paying for its Twitter Blue subscription service.
However, the service was briefly paused and later relaunched due to issues involving celebrity and corporate impersonators.
Prominent users, such as actor William Shatner and anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky, have voiced opposition to the idea of paying for verification, arguing that it is necessary for safety from impersonation.
Experts have also raised concerns that reserving verification for paid users might not effectively reduce bot issues on the site, and could make it easier for scammers to impersonate high-profile users.
Despite the confusion and opposition, Musk has insisted that the changes aim to treat all users equally and that there should not be a different standard for celebrities.
The verification-related changes could also drive revenue, potentially helping Musk with the significant debt incurred after purchasing Twitter for $44 billion.
Conclusion
These recent controversial policies implemented by Twitter have sparked discontent and raised questions about the platform’s priorities and commitment to its users.
Public service accounts, indie developers, and LGBTQ users have all been affected by these changes, prompting many to question the motives behind these decisions.
As users and experts continue to scrutinize Twitter’s policies, it remains to be seen whether the platform will address the concerns raised or continue down its current path.
