Twitter seeks to strike balance between enhancing user privacy and
data protection while maintaining seamless browsing experience
Twitter
has introduced a new policy requiring users to sign in to their accounts in
order to view tweets and user profiles.
This marks a significant
shift from the previous accessibility of tweets, which could be freely
accessed without a Twitter account or login. The decision aims to combat the
rampant data scraping that has been affecting user experience on the
platform, as revealed by Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter. The billionaire
entrepreneur referred to this measure as a "temporary emergency measure" to
address the data pilferage issue.
"We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!" Musk expressed in a tweet, shedding light on the motivation behind Twitter's sudden update. He further highlighted that numerous organisations were aggressively scraping Twitter's data, causing a negative impact on the overall user experience.
NEWS: Twitter's web version no longer allows users to browse without logging in. All urls redirect to the signup page.
— T(w)itter Daily News (@TitterDaily) June 30, 2023
This is believed to be a measure to make it harder for scrapers to take Twitter's data, like ChatGPT's web browsing plugin has been doing. pic.twitter.com/DbfuAWwS4p
Following this change, users attempting to access content on
the platform will be prompted to either create a new Twitter account or log
into an existing one to gain access to their favorite tweets. Previously,
non-logged-in users could freely browse tweets without any such
requirement.
The implementation of this policy caught many users by
surprise, as Twitter made no formal announcement prior to its introduction.
Upon clicking on a post or profile without being logged in, users are now
redirected to a message that urges them to "Sign in to Twitter" using their
Google credentials or Apple ID.
Musk's dissatisfaction with the
use of Twitter data by artificial intelligence firms, such as OpenAI, has
been previously expressed. In a letter addressed to Microsoft CEO Satya
Nadella, Musk's lawyer accused the tech giant of violating an agreement
regarding the use of Twitter's content, signaling his intent to take legal
action against those who have allegedly stolen data from the platform.
While the duration of this mandatory login requirement remains
uncertain, Musk referred to it as a temporary measure. The move is part of
Twitter's ongoing efforts to regain advertisers who left the platform during
Musk's tenure and to boost subscription revenue through the inclusion of
verification checkmarks in the Twitter Blue program.
In recent
times, Twitter has also started charging users for accessing its application
programming interface (API), which is commonly utilised by third-party apps
and researchers. These strategic changes reflect Twitter's broader
initiatives to diversify its revenue streams and revitalise the company's
business beyond digital advertising.
