Snippet: Twitter Bans Links to Most Alternative Social Media ☇

Twitter’s Help Center:

Twitter is where the public conversation is happening, and where people from all over the globe come to promote their businesses, art, ideas, and more. We know that many of our users may be active on other social media platforms; however, going forward, Twitter will no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms on Twitter. […]

Accounts that are used for the main purpose of promoting content on another social platform may be suspended. Additionally, any attempts to bypass restrictions on external links to the above prohibited social media platforms through technical or non-technical means (e.g. URL cloaking, plaintext obfuscation) is in violation of this policy. This includes, but is not limited to, spelling out “dot” for social media platforms that use “.” in the names to avoid URL creation, or sharing screenshots of your handle on a prohibited social media platform.

Having a Twitter account isn’t a right, and it being a private company, the thin-skinned baby owner can do whatever he wants. On the other hand, changing policies daily in response to him being offended and prohibiting links to anywhere else flies in the face of his “free speech” rhetoric. All of these changes also are done at the drop of a hat, which just feels pathetic and desperate (most businesses phase in changes to a terms of service to give people time to adjust). What if someone was away and didn’t know this change was made so they could clean things up fast enough?

At this point, most of the staff is gone, so now it’s time to start finding nonsense excuses to “fire” users—I guess not using other social networks or acknowledging them is our version of a loyalty oath?

Additionally, we allow paid advertisement/promotion for any of the prohibited social media platforms.

Of course.