December 19, (THEWILL) – The microblogging platform, Twitter, has said it will no longer allow users to link to several rival social media websites, including “Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post” from their accounts.
The development is part of several 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 the free promotion of specific social media platforms.
“We recognise 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.
“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”, it said.
Twitter said it still allows cross-posting content from any social media platform, and that posting links or usernames to social media platforms not listed above is also not in violation of the policy.
However, Musk, once again, has come under heavy criticism from both free speech advocates and Twitter users including the platform’s former founder and former CEO, Jack Dorsey.
But Musk, in his reaction to the criticism, said, “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.”
However, Musk later added that the “policy will be adjusted to suspending accounts only when that account’s primary purpose is the promotion of competitors, which essentially falls under the no spam rule.”
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