Particularly, Elon and his Twitter 2.0 crew have determined that linking out to any competing social platform, in any method, is now in opposition to the foundations. Due to, um, free promotion?

As defined by Twitter:

“We acknowledge that a lot of our customers are lively on different social media platforms. Nonetheless, we are going to now not enable free promotion of sure social media platforms on Twitter.”

So Twitter doesn’t need to juice its rivals by offering free attain to its viewers. Unsure that’s going to offer the aggressive edge that Twitter hopes, however right here we’re.

“Particularly, we are going to take away accounts created solely for the aim of selling different social platforms and content material that comprises hyperlinks or usernames for the next platforms: Fb, Instagram, Mastodon, Reality Social, Tribel, Nostr and Put up.”

To make clear, it’s essential to take away all hyperlinks in your bio, and now not tweet hyperlinks to your accounts on:

• Fb
• Instagram
• Mastodon
• Reality Social
• Tribel
• Nostr
• Put up

In case you had been questioning, presently, hundreds of thousands of accounts are falling foul of this new rule.

Many customers had famous points attempting to hyperlink to their Mastdon accounts over the previous week, which appeared to be Twitter’s try and cease a person exodus. Now, now we have an official cause as to why – and that’s not all.

Within the additional documentation of the brand new rule, Twitter additionally notes that:

• Third-party social media hyperlink aggregators equivalent to linktr.ee, lnk.bio

These are banned to, so it’s essential to do away with your Linktree hyperlinks, in addition to every other hyperlink aggregator.

Which appears absurd, however once more, right here we’re.

‘However dangle on’, I hear you say, ‘what about official cross-posting choices utilizing Twitter’s API, like once you share a hyperlink to one thing utilizing the Twitter button from the share choices accessible?’

That, apparently, remains to be allowed.

“We acknowledge that sure social media platforms present different experiences to Twitter, and permit customers to publish content material to Twitter from these platforms. Normally, any kind of cross-posting to our platform isn’t in violation of this coverage, even from the prohibited websites listed above.”

So theoretically, you may nonetheless cross-post your newest replace on, say, Instagram, and that will not be in violation of the foundations. However posting a direct hyperlink to your IG profile would.

Twitter additionally notes that:

“Posting hyperlinks or usernames to social media platforms not listed above are additionally not in violation of this coverage.”

So hyperlinks to YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and curiously, TikTok, are all superb.

Evidently, Mastodon, which is slowly turning into the Twitter different of alternative, has aggravated Elon sufficient to warrant consideration, whereas Meta should even have gotten his goat in some way.

The addition of Nostr, an open supply platform being promoted by former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey, additionally means that the connection has soured between these two (keep in mind when Jack mentioned Elon was ‘the singular answer’ he trusted to avoid wasting Twitter?), whereas the omission of TikTok may level to Elon’s sophisticated ties with China, and a must not step on any toes on that entrance.

Twitter additionally says that any try and bypass the brand new guidelines – like spelling out ‘dot’ for social media platform hyperlinks to keep away from URL creation, or sharing screenshots of your deal with on a prohibited social media platform – you greatest imagine, that too will end in a paddlin’ from the tweet Gods.

Twitter will, nonetheless, proceed to permit paid commercial/promotion for any of the prohibited social media platforms. What a shock.

Look, I notice there are passionate supporters of Elon who see no fault in something that he does, and for these folks, that is seemingly simply one other a part of his grand grasp plan, that every one of us common-folk are simply too silly to get. However that is dangerous. It is a dangerous coverage, which is not going to assist Twitter. And whereas the idea of walling folks in might really feel prefer it makes some sense, on some stage, with reference to halting the usage of the app for ‘free promotion’ of rivals, the impacts will, over time, considerably outweigh perceived advantages.

Take, for instance, creators who cross-post to Twitter to advertise their stuff on different apps, on which they’ll make much more income. Twitter advantages from this, by way of elevated engagement, however now, these creators must suppose twice about how they use the app for this function – and whether or not it’s even value utilizing in any respect.

It’s the precise reverse of what Twitter had been working in direction of earlier than Elon, with its improvement extra creator instruments and incentive packages.

Disabling Linktree and comparable companies additionally hurts Twitter’s ecosystem, and lessens its worth, versus rising it, whereas stopping folks from selling their Mastodon and Put up hyperlinks will seemingly simply make them migrate sooner.

And the complicated factor the place you may nonetheless cross-post by way of official share hyperlinks?

The whole replace looks like rushed coverage, that hasn’t been thought by way of.

Very similar to this – one other coming Twitter replace:

Conceptually, that ought to incentivize extra folks to pay for Twitter Blue, proper? With a view to get this extra ‘downvote’ profit.

However as many have identified, that is really extra more likely to be misused and abused to silence dissenting opinions, whereas additionally including extra incentive to dam and mute – i.e. cease listening to opposing opinions.

There’s additionally the brand new ‘anti-doxxing’ guidelines that noticed a number of high-profile journalists suspended final week.

It’s set off comfortable coverage, being developed with out the business data or the sensibility required to come back to the suitable method.

Oh, additionally, it’s doubtlessly anti-competitive, and unlawful in Europe.

Elon has famous that Twitter’s going to do ‘numerous dumb issues within the coming months’ as he works to proper the ship. This, most positively, is one in every of them.

UPDATE: Hours after releasing this coverage, and amid enormous backlash, Twitter quietly deleted the tweets, unpublished the foundations doc and posted this ballot:

The outcomes right here appear to recommend that this was not a well-liked replace – whereas it could even have been Elon’s final as chief.