In a surprising move, Twitter has silently lifted its restrictions on requiring users to log in to view tweets. This means that anyone can now access Twitter links in their browser without the need for an account.
SurgeZirc SA has observed that tweet previews are now coming up in popular messaging platforms such as Slack and WhatsApp. Another publication, has also reported that Twitter previews are visible on iMessage.
You May Also Like: Twitter Competitors Rises After Yet Another Controversial Move By Musk
The decision to enforce the login requirement was initially made by Twitter to combat data scraping. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, commented on this move, referring to it as a “temporary emergency measure” taken to protect against rampant data pillaging.
He stated in a tweet, “We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!”
However, Twitter has not issued an official announcement regarding the removal of login requirements or provided specific details about the measures it has implemented to prevent scraping.
Interestingly, Twitter’s decision coincides with Meta’s upcoming launch of their own text-based app called Threads.
Notably, Threads briefly allowed users to view posts on the web without requiring a login before retracting this feature. It is likely that users will be able to view Threads posts without an account once the app officially launches.
Additionally, Elon Musk implemented read limits over the weekend, restricting unverified users to 1,000 posts per day and verified users to 10,000 posts per day.
You May Also Like: Instagram’s Twitter Competitor, Threads, Set To Launch On July 6
This measure aims to combat data scraping. In a blog post, Twitter acknowledged that this change has affected only a small percentage of users and had minimal effects on advertising.
Coincidentally, Meta’s upcoming app Threads may also allow users to view posts without requiring a login. Elon Musk’s implementation of read limits further demonstrates efforts to combat data scraping on the platform.