Twitter has quietly removed the restrictions that previously required users to log in to view tweets. This means that Twitter links can now be opened in a browser without the need for an account.
Prozteck discovered that tweet previews are now unfurling in popular communication platforms such as Slack and WhatsApp. Engadget also noted that Twitter previews are visible on iMessage.
The decision to enforce the login requirement was initially made as a temporary emergency measure by Twitter, in response to concerns about data scraping. Elon Musk, in a tweet, mentioned that these measures were taken to prevent excessive data pillaging that was impacting the service for regular users.
While Twitter has not made an official announcement about the removal of the login restrictions or provided specific details about the measures taken to address scraping, users are now able to access Twitter links without the need to log in.
Interestingly, this move by Twitter coincides with the upcoming launch of Meta’s text-based app called Threads. Notably, Threads briefly allowed users to view posts on the web without logging in before pulling the links. It is expected that users will be able to access Threads posts without an account when the app officially launches.
In addition to the login restrictions, Elon Musk also implemented read limits over the weekend. Unverified users are now limited to 1,000 posts per day, while verified users have a limit of 10,000 posts per day, as part of the company’s efforts to combat data scraping. Twitter has stated that these changes have had minimal impact on advertising and have only affected a small percentage of users.
