In a sudden and unannounced update, Twitter has made it mandatory for people to log into their accounts to view tweets and user profiles. This also means that one must have an account on the microblogging website to view tweets, which, until now, could be seen without being logged in or having a profile on the social network.
What happened?
The update came into effect on Friday, without, however, an announcement from Twitter. Users discovered it themselves when they tried to view content without signing in; upon clicking on a post or profile, they got redirected to a message that asked them to ‘Sign in to Twitter’ with their Google credentials or Apple ID.
Alternatively, they were asked to sign-up to use the platform.
‘Temporary emergency measure’
Later in the day, Elon Musk, the world’s richest person who owns the parent company, the San Francisco-based Twitter Inc, acknowledged the change, calling it a ‘temporary emergency measure.’
“We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!” Musk posted.
The billionaire did not say for how long the change will be in effect.
