Twitter recently introduced a new policy that mandates users to have an account on the platform to view tweets.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, referred to this measure as a “temporary emergency” in a tweet on Friday.
Users seeking to access content on Twitter will now be prompted to either create an account or log into their existing accounts to view desired tweets. Musk justified this action by citing significant data pilfering on the platform, which has negatively impacted the user experience. He highlighted that numerous organizations were aggressively scraping Twitter data, leading to compromised service quality.
Musk has previously expressed dissatisfaction with artificial intelligence firms, including OpenAI, utilizing Twitter’s data for training large language models. He expressed his intention to pursue legal action against those responsible for data theft, expecting a potential court battle within the next two to three years.
In May, Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, requesting an audit of the tech giant’s use of Twitter’s content. The letter alleged that Microsoft had violated an agreement about the utilization of Twitter’s data by the Windows developer.
Under Musk’s ownership, Twitter has implemented various measures to win back advertisers who had left the platform and increase subscription revenue. One of these measures is the inclusion of verification check marks within the Twitter Blue program. Additionally, Twitter aims to prioritize video, creator, and commerce partnerships to revitalize the company’s business beyond digital advertising.
Concurrently, Twitter has initiated a charging mechanism for users to access its application programming interface (API), widely used by third-party applications and researchers.