Image: © MichaelVi/Stock.adobe.com
Elon Musk has also launched a poll on whether he should ‘step down as head of Twitter’ and claims he will follow the results.
It has been a busy few days for Twitter, creating a controversial new policy and then removing it hours later.
The company announced on its support account over the weekend that it would no longer allow the “free promotion of certain social media platforms” on Twitter.
On its policy page, it also said it would ban users from posting links to “prohibited platforms” including Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr.
However, the information on the policy page and the announcement tweet have since been deleted. The planned policy change faced a wave of criticism when it was first announced yesterday (18 December).
In one reply, new Twitter owner Elon Musk said the policy will be adjusted to suspending an account only when its primary purpose is “promotion of competitors, which essentially falls under the no spam rule”.
Twitter’s Safety account launched a poll earlier today (19 December), asking users if there should be a policy targeting accounts that focus on advertising other social media platforms.
A majority of users have voted no on the poll vote, though it is unclear if the result will impact Twitter’s decision.
Twitter could also face repercussions in the EU if this type of policy is established. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) states that “gatekeeper” companies can’t prevent consumers from linking up to other businesses.
The DMA defines gatekeeper companies as those that have a strong economic position, significant impact on the internal market and are active in multiple EU countries. It also includes “intermediation” companies that link a large user base to a large number of businesses.
Although the DMA has not come into force yet, Twitter could face severe fines if this sort of policy is in place in the future. The DMA states that companies that do not comply will face fines of up to 10pc of their total global revenue, or 20pc for “repeated infringements”.
Meanwhile, Musk has shared a poll asking users if he should step down as the head of Twitter, adding that he will “abide by the results”.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
There have been more than 14m votes on the poll at time of publication, with roughly 57pc voting that he should step down.
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