Twitter users will no longer be able to post links to several competing social networks, billionaire Elon Musk’s platform announced in a statement on Sunday, which is raising concerns after the suspension of journalist accounts.
“Twitter no longer allows free promotion of certain social networks on Twitter,” the statement said, noting that Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr are affected, as well as “links to social network aggregators social media like linktr.ee, lnk.bio”. For example, it becomes prohibited to tweet: “Thank you for following me @ID on Instagram”.
Journalist accounts deleted
Users who violate this policy risk having their account suspended: “If violations of the rule remain an isolated act or a first violation, we may take a number of measures ranging from the removal of one or several tweets until the temporary locking of account (s), ”explains Twitter. But “any repeat offense will result in a permanent suspension”, warns the platform.
Tweets are not the only ones to be affected by this new policy, since the biography and the name of the user cannot contain a link either, under penalty of temporary or even permanent suspension.
Elon Musk, who recently bought Twitter for 44 billion dollars, wants to be a fervent defender of freedom of expression. However, in recent days he has deleted and then restored the accounts of several American journalists, CNN, New York Times and washington post especially. This has caused concern in the European Union and the UN, and the Vice-President of the European Commission has even threatened him with sanctions.