Twitterverse faces a huge shift as billionaire Elon Musk’s stealthy takeover locks out non-registered users, turning tweets into a closely guarded secret society.
What Happened: Twitter experienced a seismic shift on Friday as access to the platform’s website was abruptly restricted for non-registered users, leaving countless individuals puzzled by the sudden change.
Previously, Twitter allowed users to freely search and view tweets without the need for a registered account. However, visitors to the site are now greeted with an unexpected login prompt, effectively blocking their access unless they possessed a registered profile.
See Also: Elon Musk Wants To Make Twitter Creator-Friendly With An Ambitious Feature That Seems Unreal
Musk later attributed the decision to a need for improved performance on the platform. According to Musk, third-party companies had been “scraping” data from Twitter, overwhelming its systems and degrading the user experience. He referred to the blockade as a “temporary emergency measure” implemented to counter the rampant data pilfering.
Expressing his openness to ideas, Musk acknowledged that numerous organizations had aggressively engaged in scraping Twitter data, violating the platform’s terms and conditions with no regard for the consequences.
He further pointed out the evasive techniques employed by these groups, such as masking their IP addresses through proxy servers or utilizing seemingly legitimate organizations as a front. Musk vowed to take legal action against those responsible for stealing Twitter’s data, eagerly anticipating their appearance in court, albeit possibly two to three years down the line.
Why It's Important: The tech billionaire also insisted that Twitter had never been more popular, although the microblogging site's journey under Musk's leadership had not been without its share of technical issues.
Glitches plagued a Twitter Spaces live audio event featuring Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had chosen the platform to formally announce his 2024 presidential campaign.
Nonetheless, Musk boasted about the unprecedented pace at which new features were being developed, saying that the platform had achieved another all-time high in user engagement.
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Read Next: Elon Musk’s Twitter Hit With Heavy Blow As Indian Court Rejects Plea, Slaps $67K Fine
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