Twitter to Ban Accounts That Link to Social Media Rivals Like Mastodon - The New York Times

The move may affect giant social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, as well as smaller ones like Mastodon and Truth Social.

Twitter said on Sunday that it would ban accounts that promote rival social media platforms, the most recent shift by the company since Elon Musk took over.

In a post, Twitter said it would remove accounts “created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms.” The company went on to say it would take action against users that flout the policy “at both the Tweet level and the account level.”

The decision also means that users may no longer be able to link to their own accounts on other social media platforms. (Mr. Musk tweeted later on Sunday, “Casually sharing occasional links is fine.”)

The move, the latest change in an already chaotic month at the company, could affect giant social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram; start-ups like Mastodon and Post; and the right-wing site that former President Donald J. Trump helped found, Truth Social. Twitter said the new policy would also affect two other alternative social networks, Tribel and Nostr.

Twitter last week suspended the account of Mastodon, after the site had promoted the work of a journalist who had been barred from Twitter.

Social networks traditionally have permitted links to other social platforms, with the idea that sharing content can bring wider distribution to posts and a more open internet.

Twitter’s policy change on Sunday reflects a broader pattern in which Mr. Musk has purged the platform of dissenting voices. Last week, he suspended the accounts of half a dozen well-known journalists, including Ryan Mac of The New York Times and Drew Harwell of The Washington Post. Most of those accounts have since been reinstated.

He also suspended more than 25 accounts that tracked the planes of high-profile people, government agencies and billionaires, including Mr. Musk.

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Twitter to Ban Accounts That Link to Social Media Rivals Like Mastodon - The New York Times
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