Checking Twitter messages without registering could have its days numbered, a user has discovered a new block on the social network similar to the one used by Facebook.
Social networks such as Twitter are constantly changing. The platform is one of the most popular worldwide and the one that most defends the idea of public service. However, in recent months there has been a trend towards the private that could put an end to this stance. After launching its paid version, Twitter could now be blocking its content from outside eyes.
The social network rumored to be testing a new feature that restricts access to tweets posted on it has been found by a Reddit user.
The user suggests that from now on it will only be possible to see a tweet and its comments if the user has been previously registered. If the user is not registered, the tweet or the content would be blocked by Twitter. Unfortunately, this change undermines the essence of this platform.
“It’s very clear that Twitter wants to go the same route as Facebook: be unusable unless you sign up” explains this user. The message on Reddit is accompanied by a video where he shows the obstacles he has encountered to view a tweet without giving his profile data.
Until now, Twitter allowed people to share messages via other platforms. It is even common to see tweets inserted in the news and other websites for everyone to see. Without having a Twitter account, a person can read and see the content of a message on the social media, although they cannot interact with it by commenting,i retweeting or adding it to favourites.
Facebook, on the other hand, has long since stopped providing such access to those who do not first identify themselves as users of its platform. It may be an attempt to reinforce the privacy and security of the social network, or rather a tactic to force people to identify themselves, give their data, and sign up for social networks if they have not already done so.
“They have all the data they need, they’re just trying to get you to eat some ads” opined another Reddit user. If this is a test function, which is common on these platforms, it should only be available to a few users.
With these tests, Twitter and the other social networks analyze the impact of each change or idea and assess whether the results are beneficial or not. Last week, for example, they reversed a design change that had not received very good reviews from users.
For the moment, Twitter has not made public its intention to block access to its content as Facebook does.
