Twitter is implementing new restrictions in a fresh attempt to force people into paying for verification through a Twitter Blue subscription.
The new restriction targets direct messages (DMs), reportedly lowering the limit of the total number of DMs an unverified account can send from the current limit of 500. According to some unconfirmed reports, the new limit will just be 30. The move aims to lessen spam DMs.
#Twitter is working to limit the number of DMs you can send per day before having to sign up for @TwitterBlue 👀 pic.twitter.com/R9UDmd4OAo
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) June 12, 2023
Twitter owner Elon Musk has maintained that the move to push people to pay to verify their accounts will keep AI bots out — or at least make the platform more expensive for AI bots or scammers to use. Musk’s Twitter verification only really requires a phone number, an ID, and $8 per month.
Another restriction would limit the ability to send DMs to people who don’t follow you. This restriction has been seen to be another move that makes the platform more unfriendly to journalists. Journalists often use Twitter to reach out to sources privately.
This is horrible for journalists. It will eliminate the ability for us to reach out to sources easily and privately, and for them to reach us. This is a massively important feature of this platform for me and others about to vanish. pic.twitter.com/7FRPurNgWX
— Rebekah Valentine (@duckvalentine) June 12, 2023
Musk appears to have confirmed these new restrictions, reiterating that paid verification increases the cost of AI bots (and does not eliminate them). He also said that he hopes the updates will be released this week.
Hopefully releasing the update this week.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2023
As I’ve said many times, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between AI bots. Soon, it will be impossible.
The only “social networks” that survive will be those that require verification. The payment system is a means of…
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