Elon Musk is slashing the number of messages that Twitter users can send in a controversial move to tackle spam bots.
Millions of non-paying Twitter users will soon be barred from messaging those who don’t follow them back in a huge update coming this week.
The billionaire CEO announced the change yesterday, stressing that the lines between scams and real people were being increasingly blurred on the platform.
Twitter also recently enforced a divisive message limit of 500 each day as a way of alleviating ‘some of the strain…behind-the-scenes’.
Musk tweeted: ‘Hopefully releasing the update this week. As I’ve said many times, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between AI bots. Soon, it will be impossible.
Non-paying Twitter users will be barred from messaging verified users first, Elon Musk says
Yesterday, Elon Musk announced the change that is expected to come into force this week
‘The only “social networks” that survive will be those that require verification. The payment system is a means of verification that increases bot cost by ~10,000X.’
Twitter Blue, its paid-for subscription service, comes at a cost of £100.80 ($84) each year for web users and £114.99 ($114.99) for iPhone users.
The ability to message non-followers will be limited to just paying users in the future, with this function also applying to the creation of group chats.
While some have praised these efforts against bots, others warn that it may create a barrier between those who can afford to pay for Twitter and those who can’t.
Critics suggest this defeats the object of Twitter becoming an open ‘digital town square’ – a goal which Musk voiced following his takeover last year.
One user said: ‘Twitter’s not really at the point where it’s a worthy service for eight bucks a month yet.
‘That definitely dashes the whole town square dynamic. Maybe one day, but there’s a lot left to hammer out just yet. Online games have the same issue – the bots are willing to pay to play.’
Another added: ‘This would make it totally impossible for non-blue people to DM each other over Twitter. Better solution: allow if both DM each other (or have in the past), That way we can exchange twitter handles (via some other medium) and set up communication.’
The change also comes amid speculation that the 500 daily DM limit will be slashed even further for non-paying users in the coming future.
This was suggested by tech leaker Alessandro Paluzzi after receiving a notification that warned him of his daily cap.
Critics suggest this goes against the idea of Twitter becoming an open ‘digital town square’ – a goal which Musk voiced following his takeover last year
‘#Twitter is working to limit the number of DMs you can send per day before having to sign up for @Twitter Blue,’ he wrote.
‘Currently the limit is 500 per day, but I bet this limit will be reduced when this will be rolled out.’
The rumoured move polarised numerous users on the platform, debating whether this was the right way to tackle spam.
‘How is this going to improve Twitter? Australians and New Zealanders are STILL having trouble with gifs,’ one user wrote.
‘I had my art account shut down for no reason. Maybe fix basic Twitter before making changes that aren’t wanted or needed!!’
Meanwhile, another said: ‘For businesses that have a large number of customers to provide customer support via DMs, they’ll have to be verified in order to send lots of direct messages.’
Encrypted messaging and the purging of old conversations are among numerous other changes made to the app in recent months.
But Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert at ESET, believes too many changes could eventually push loyal fans away.
The change also comes amidst speculation that the 500 daily message limit will be slashed even further for non-paying users in the coming future
The rumoured move appeared to polarise numerous users on the platform, debating whether this was the right way to tackle spam
He previously told MailOnline: ‘Twitter’s competitors are already fully engrossed in encrypted messaging as well as voice and video chat functionality so this is the next obvious step.
‘As numbers go, the likes of Meta, Snap and TikTok are dominating over Twitter and therefore to recoup some of the losses in the purchase of the site, Musk needs to align the platform as a better rival.
‘However, too many changes can have the opposite effect and could push more loyal fans away like we have previously seen. Many other similar sites to Twitter such as BlueSky and Mastadon are simply waiting on the sidelines for users to migrate over.
‘So, Musk will have to be careful not to ruin the essence of what has made the platform what it is today.’
