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Twitter to ban users from posting links to rival social platforms

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A person walks by the Twitter offices in New York, New York, USA, 04 November 2022. EPA-EFE/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/11/26/11112404-twitter-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>A person walks by the Twitter offices in New York, New York, USA, 04 November 2022. <em>EPA-EFE/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>WASHINGTON, United States (<strong>UPDATE</strong>) - Twitter announced Sunday it would no longer allow users to promote their accounts on several rival social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, but the site&#x27;s mercurial owner Elon Musk appeared to backtrack on the new policy just hours later.</p><p>The sudden shift in the rules was the latest in a series of controversial changes made by Musk since he took over the company in October -- upheaval that has led a growing number of users to encourage followers to view their posts on other sites.</p><p>The unpredictable billionaire even put his future as Twitter&#x27;s CEO to a vote.</p><p>&quot;Should I step down as head of Twitter?&quot; he tweeted, asking the site&#x27;s users to click yes or no. </p><p>&quot;I will abide by the results of this poll,&quot; he added, with the vote open until the early hours of Monday.</p><p>Twitter had announced that the company would &quot;no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms.&quot;</p><p>&quot;At both the Tweet level and the account level, we will remove any free promotion of prohibited 3rd-party social media platforms, such as linking out (i.e. using URLs) to any of the below platforms on Twitter, or providing your handle without a URL,&quot; the company explained in a statement.</p><p>Users would thus be barred, for example, from posting &quot;Follow me @username on Instagram,&quot; Twitter said.</p><p>Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey questioned the new policy with a one-word tweet: &quot;Why?&quot;</p><p>After some notable accounts were suspended under the new policy, including tech investor Paul Graham, Musk tweeted that instead of considering individual tweets, the policy would be limited to &quot;suspending accounts only when that account’s *primary* purpose is promotion of competitors.&quot;</p><p>He later said: &quot;Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won&#x27;t happen again.&quot;</p><div><strong>Changes under Musk</strong></div><p>The move was the latest in a growing series of controversies generated by Musk in his short tenure at the helm of Twitter, including layoffs, reinstatement of some far-right accounts and the suspension of several journalists.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/12/09/22/musk-faces-legal-onslaught-from-angry-ex-twitter-workers">Musk faces legal onslaught from angry ex-Twitter workers</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/11/22/22/twitter-becoming-taboo-celebs-look-for-exit-strategies">&#x27;Twitter becoming taboo&#x27;: celebs look for exit strategies</a></li></ul><p>Shortly after taking over the platform, he announced the site would charge $8 per month to verify account holders&#x27; identities, but had to suspend the &quot;Twitter Blue&quot; plan after an embarrassing rash of fake accounts. It has since been relaunched.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/12/13/22/musk-relaunches-twitter-blue-after-fake-account-fiasco">Musk relaunches Twitter Blue after fake account fiasco</a></li></ul><p>On November 4, with Musk saying the company was losing $4 million a day, Twitter laid off half its 7,500-strong staff.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/04/22/twitter-layoffs-begin-as-musk-launches-overhaul">Twitter mass layoffs begin as Musk launches overhaul</a></li></ul><p>Musk also reinstated the account of former president Donald Trump and said Twitter would no longer work to combat Covid-19 disinformation.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/11/20/22/trump-twitter-account-reappears-after-musk-poll">Trump Twitter account reappears after Musk poll</a></li></ul><p>In recent days, he suspended the accounts of several journalists -- most recently, Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz -- after complaining some had divulged details about the movements of his private jet that could endanger his family.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/12/17/22/musk-to-restore-suspended-twitter-accounts-of-journalists">Elon Musk says will restore suspended Twitter accounts of journalists</a></li></ul><p>The suspension of the journalists -- employees of CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post were among those affected -- has drawn sharp criticism, including from the European Union and the United Nations.</p><p>The US Federal Trade Commission said it was tracking developments at Twitter &quot;with deep concern.&quot;</p><p>Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee said the suspension of Lorenz&#x27;s account &quot;further undermines Elon Musk&#x27;s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech.&quot;</p><p>Some of the suspended accounts have since been reactivated.</p><div><strong>jul/bbk-des/sst</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2331962" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

 Twitter announced Sunday it was prohibiting users from including links to other social media platforms in their posts, the latest move by the company and its controversial owner Elon Musk.