Elon Musk, Executive Chair of Twitter, recently announced a significant reduction in page view limits as part of an effort to combat aggressive data scraping by organizations seeking to train AI models. This decision aims to enhance the overall user experience on the platform.
Restricted Limits for Unverified and Verified Accounts
Under the new restrictions, unverified accounts are now limited to reading 1,000 posts per day, while newer unverified accounts face a limit of 500 posts per day. In contrast, accounts with “verified” status enjoy a higher threshold, allowing them to view up to 10,000 posts daily.
Higher Thresholds for Verified Accounts Linked to Subscription Service
The more lenient limits for verified accounts are linked to a $8 per month subscription service introduced earlier this year. This move was intended to boost Twitter’s revenue, which had declined significantly since Musk assumed leadership of the company. To counter the threat of bankruptcy and the loss of several advertisers, Twitter has been implementing new strategic measures to regain its position in the market.
Temporary Emergency Measure Subject to Alterations
Initially, the planned limits were even more stringent. Musk stated on Twitter, “Extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation” and clarified that the restrictions were necessary to prevent service degradation for regular users. The action is described as a temporary emergency measure that may undergo alterations in the future.
Challenges Faced by TweetDeck Users
Musk’s decision has had repercussions on TweetDeck users, who have reported significant issues such as failed notifications and columns failing to load. TweetDeck loads multiple tweets simultaneously through various columns, amplifying the impact of the reading restrictions within the platform.
Ripple Effects and User Reports
Despite the intention to improve the overall user experience, the proposed solution has generated a series of ripple effects. According to Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages, over 7,500 people reported errors while accessing the social media service shortly after the limits were imposed on Saturday morning.
Elon Musk’s implementation of page view limits on Twitter aims to address data scraping concerns and enhance the user experience. While the restrictions have caused challenges for some users, the temporary emergency measure may be subject to adjustments in the future as Twitter continues its efforts to improve the platform’s performance.