Twitter has deleted a blog post outlining new policy that banned accounts from existing solely to promote content on other social media platforms, while also barring users from linking to other social media sites while sharing their usernames. The post is archived here. A thread from Twitter Support on the subject was also deleted.
The list of prohibited platforms included Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post, and Nostr. Interestingly the list did not include Twitter alternative GETTR, nor did it list TikTok.
Examples of potential violations included Tweets that simply said “follow me @username on Instagram” or “check out my profile on Facebook – facebook.com/username” along with tweets that simply listed one’s username on a different social platform.
Nostr, which stands for “Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays,” was recently bolstered by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who donated approximately $245,000 worth of Bitcoin to the platform, shortly after dedicating $1M per year to the Signal app.
In response to the policy, Dorsey publicly said “doesn’t make sense” in a Twitter reply to another user.
Other larger-than-life personalities criticized the move, such as YouTube’s largest creator, Mr. Beast, who responded to Elon Musk’s poll asking users if he should step down from Twitter with “If you’re going to keep doing stuff like this, yes,” with a screenshot of the new policy.
The new rules, which lasted less than 24 hours, garnered an apology from Musk, who says any future changes would be made by a public vote:
“Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again.”
Few of Musk’s new changes have come without controversy. Most recently, a string of users were suspended for revealing “real time locations” with Musk saying the posts that were tracking his private flights were endangering his family.
The mogul even retroactively suspended Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz for “prior doxxing,” adding that the suspension is temporary and “will be lifted shorty.”
“Same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else,” said Musk.
The policy that barred the advertising of other platforms is now up for a vote on a Twitter Safety poll.