Twitter briefly bans users from linking to Facebook and Instagram

Luke Meredith

Social media platform Twitter announced on Sunday that it would remove accounts on its service that are created for the sole purpose of linking to other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, before seemingly reversing the decision shortly after.

In a statement announcing the new policy, Twitter stated:

“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.”

The changes were seemingly designed to prevent users from promoting other social media content on platforms like Facebook on their Twitter accounts.

While other social media platforms, including Truth Social, Nostr, Tribel, Post and emerging Twitter alternative Mastodon, were also affected by these plans, platforms such as TikTok, LinkedIn and Parler were left unharmed.

However, after severe backlash from the decision, Twitter deleted the tweet announcing the new policy, before posting a user poll on the matter. The poll saw a decisive victory for those opposing the proposed changes.

Should we have a policy preventing the creation of or use of existing accounts for the main purpose of advertising other social media platforms?

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) December 19, 2022

Twitter CEO Elon Musk went on to apologise for the debacle, announcing that any and all Twitter policy changes would go to a vote. This included asking users whether he should step down as head of the company, which resulted in a verdict of ‘yes’.

Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022

Twitter’s botched plans to remove the ability to promote other social media platforms on its service may have had serious implications for the ways that businesses approach their social media strategy.

Whether your business users Twitter or other social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram to promote its message, at Engage Web, we specialise in the art of engaging content. To talk to one of our content maestros, get in touch with our team today.

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Luke Meredith

Content Editor at Engage Web

At home in both the digital sector and the world of communications, Luke thrives on deadlines and has held roles in healthcare, retail and digital marketing, gaining a sound knowledge of a wide range of sectors. He’s a massive swot as well, holding a first-class degree in BA Communication and Media, and now uses his writing skills and keen editorial eye in his role as Content Editor here. Luke helps to oversee our clients’ content requirements, while also looking after a pool of freelance writers across three continents.

Twitter briefly bans users from linking to Facebook and Instagram