Introduction

Twitter, the popular social media platform owned by Elon Musk, is facing a prolonged outage that has caused significant inconvenience for its users. As a result, Twitter has decided to implement new limits on the number of tweets users can read. This article delves into the details of these revised usage quotas and explores the reasons behind Twitter’s decision.

Key Changes: Restricted Usage Quotas

In a recent tweet, Elon Musk outlined the revised usage quotas that Twitter users must adhere to. Verified account holders have a maximum allowance of 6,000 posts per day, while unverified users face a significantly reduced limit of 600 posts. Furthermore, newly registered unverified users are subject to even tighter restrictions with an allowance of just 300 posts per day. These limits have since been increased to 10,000, 1,000, and 500 respectively.

This move is a response to the challenges Twitter is facing, including extreme levels of data mining by several hundred organizations and manipulation of the system. Musk believes that these restrictions are necessary to address these pressing problems, although he has not disclosed the identity of the organizations involved or the duration of the issue.

Concerns about Data Scraping

Elon Musk has previously expressed concerns about data scraping on Twitter and hinted at taking action against those responsible. He was particularly outraged by Microsoft’s alleged illegal use of Twitter data and even contemplated pursuing legal action. However, recent revelations suggest that Twitter itself may be the cause of the current issues. A bug in the Twitter web app has been sending requests to the platform in an infinite loop, causing disruptions in the service.

This latest setback is not the first technical hiccup Twitter has faced in recent months. The platform has resorted to unconventional measures, such as restricting access for users who are not logged into an account, to maintain stability. These challenges come at a crucial time as social media giant Meta reportedly prepares to launch its own Twitter rival.

The Impact on Users

Tens of thousands of users have voiced their frustration with Twitter’s prolonged outage, particularly due to the inability to access newer tweets. Instead, users encountered a “rate limit exceeded” error. This disruption has hindered users’ ability to track new posts, engage with others, and stay up to date with the latest content.

Conclusion

Twitter’s decision to implement usage limits on reading tweets is aimed at addressing the challenges it faces, including data mining and system manipulation. While the exact nature of these issues remains undisclosed, Elon Musk has taken proactive measures to mitigate their impact. Twitter’s technical woes underscore the complex nature of maintaining a stable and secure platform in the face of ever-evolving threats. As users eagerly await the resolution of these problems, the impending launch of Meta’s Twitter rival adds an additional layer of anticipation in the social media landscape.