Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, has begun limiting the number of tweets users can read each day based on their account verification status.
The changes went into effect today, sparking backlash from users.
Verified accounts, which include public figures, celebrities, and journalists (and ordinary folks who paid $8), are now limited to reading 6,000 tweets per day.
Unverified accounts are limited to 600 tweets per day, while new unverified accounts can only read 300 tweets daily.
In a tweet announcing the limits, Musk said “This is to address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation”
However, many users believe the true motivation is to push unverified users to pay $8 per month for verification.
Musk has floated the idea of charging for verification in order to diversify Twitter’s revenue stream beyond advertising.
The changes come amid widespread layoffs and resignations at Twitter that have left the platform with significantly reduced staff and support infrastructure.
Users have complained of service outages, glitches, and more spam and scams slipping through since Musk took over.
Critics argue that artificially limiting how much users can read on the platform goes against the free exchange of ideas that Twitter has traditionally stood for.
Musk has not yet commented on the backlash but is known for blocking critics on the platform. The reaction so far suggests the tweet reading limits may only add to the chaos and unrest currently roiling Twitter. How and if Musk addresses the uproar could determine whether he can turn around user trust and reinvigorate Twitter’s role as a leading forum for public discourse.
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