What’s this now, Twitter recently cut off API access for a couple of third-party apps? In what might be not-so-surprising news, Twitter has blocked access to its API for a number of third-party management apps and tools, including popular ones like Tweetbot and Twitterrific. This could all be part of Twitter’s new plan to stop people from using the platform via third-party sites, forcing them to instead go on Twitter itself. What a rather aggressive ‘peck’ from the bird itself.

Access Denied

The cut-off suddenly came last week Thursday, with various tools left unable to access Twitter’s APIs, essentially crippling them. At first, it was thought that it might have been an error, but then on Saturday, The Information, after having viewed some internal Twitter comms, reported that this was a deliberate suspension of access. Twitter has yet to respond.

The developer’s community wasn’t too happy with Twitter’s recent actions, which it says are ‘unprofessional and represent ‘an unrecoverable breach of trust between it and its developers and users. However, it does appear that Twitter’s actions are not without reason.

Last month, Twitter announced that it would ban all links to competing social platforms, as a means to cut off what it sees as free promotion for its competitors. Needless to say, Twitter reversed the decision within hours, after mass criticism of the update. The basis for such a move suggests that Chief Twit Elon Musk takes a dim view of allowing other platforms to use Twitter for their own gains. However, such is also ignorant of the benefits these kinds of linkages and access have for Twitter’s growth.

Social platforms all benefit from a level of cross-linking and developer access, hence the word ‘Social’ in the name. Third-party tools often become key connectors for users in different regions and circumstances. Twitter has had a rather turbulent relationship with developers, restricting and re-enabling Twitter access over time – which is something that even former CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged was a ‘key mistake’ that he was looking to correct.

Of course, Musk doesn’t have much of a clue about Twitter’s project history. For him, third-party tools accessing Twitter’s API were competition, hence his decision to shut it down. Again, without much to go on (if any at all), everything we come up with is purely speculation.

The Wrap

If anything, Twitter’s current communications are abysmal, hence making it doubly difficult to get the real answers. Twitter also reportedly hasn’t communicated anything to the development teams of these apps, either sending a clear message or drawing the ire of hundreds of now pissed-off people. It could be a mistake, or it could be a limited push. Perhaps it marks a new internal shift at Twitter? For now, it’ll have to remain a mystery, at least until Twitter decides if it’ll actually say something.

Sources

http://bit.ly/3ITdF9d