Unverified Twitter users will only be able to view 600 tweets per day, executive chair Elon Musk announced Saturday, citing an effort to “address extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation.”
Verified users will be able to view 6,000 posts per day, and new unverified users will be able to view just 300. Musk says the limit will be temporary, but gave no end date.
The decision is the latest effort to favor users who have subscribed to Twitter Blue, Twitter’s $8/month subscription service that verifies users. Many now view the blue check as synonymous with right-wing extremism.
It’s unclear what Twitter defines as “reading.” Users are questioning whether scrolling past a tweet will count towards their limit, or if they can avoid racking up viewed tweets by not clicking on anything.
Users will see “rate limited exceeded” on their feed when they have reached the cap.
Twitter has gone through numerous changes since Musk acquired the company last year. Friday, the company apparently restricted site content to those with accounts, making tweets unavailable to view for anyone who isn’t logged in.
Studies have noted a significant rise in hate speech since Musk took over the social media giant.
First reactions to the decision appear to be mostly negative. Even verified users, whose tweets-read limit is substantially higher, are frustrated by the latest shift in the company’s policies.
“Stop making twitter pay to win,” one verified user wrote.
“Please stop punishing people who want to use your platform,” another wrote.
See more reactions to the decision below:
Twitter’s PR email auto-replied to TheWrap’s request for comment as it always does, with a poop emoji.
