Dec. 19 (UPI) — Twitter announced a new policy that prohibits users from using the platform to advertise their profiles on competing sites Sunday.
This includes competitors such as Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon, an emerging alternative to Twitter that became popular when Musk took over the company.
“Specifically, we will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms and content that contains links or usernames for the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post,” Twitter Support tweeted.
Many users pledged to leave Twitter at several points under Musk’s ownership, including after the suspensions of journalists.
Twitter will continue to allow paid advertisements and promotion of the aforementioned platforms.
Twitter banned another notable journalist while the platform cracks down on those critical of CEO Elon Musk.
Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz was suspended from Twitter after posing a question to Musk about a story she was working on with colleague Drew Harwell. Musk tweeted that the suspension is temporary and was done due to alleged “doxxing.” He did not specify when this occurred.
Doxxing is the act of publishing or posting private information about someone with malicious intent.
Lorenz responded to the suspension on her website, saying she did not receive any communication from Twitter clarifying what terms and conditions she violated.
“Twitter has served as an essential real time news source and played a crucial role in the journalism world, but Musk’s arbitrary suspensions of journalists who report on him should worry anyone who values journalism and free expression,” she said.
On Friday, Twitter suspended several journalists who have reported on Musk in the past, including reporters from CNN, the Washington Post and the New York Times. Musk claimed journalists have violated Twitter’s terms of service by posting “assassination coordinates” for the tech mogul.
After taking a poll on Saturday, Musk reinstated some of the journalists. About 3.6 million people voted on the poll and more than 58% responded that he should immediately reinstate the suspended accounts as opposed to waiting seven days.
