Twitter deliberately cut third-party access to app functions
Christopher Hutton
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Twitter engineers appear to have cut access to the website’s internal code used by third-party apps, leading some to speculate that the company may be attempting to undercut competitors or force users to use only Twitter-approved interfaces.
The company intentionally cut the application programming interface, or API, according to Slack chat messages reviewed by the Information. This suspension has limited the ability of apps such as Tweetbot and Twitterific to access the website, forcing users to access Twitter through its web interface or mobile app.
“Third-party app suspensions are intentional,” one engineer wrote in a Slack channel dedicated to Twitter engineers working to fix service disruptions.
MUSK VOWS TO DISCLOSE CENSORSHIP PRACTICES AND MAKE TWITTER CODE OPEN TO PUBLIC
Elon Musk stated over the weekend that he intended to disclose more information about the company’s internal operations. This would include the company’s censorship practices as well as its code.
The company’s focus appears to be more on the “Twitter Files,” a series of released internal communications received by reporters that detail the company’s approach to content moderation and present its relationship with the government as malign and in tension with free speech.
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The company is facing several lawsuits over its decision to fire more than 70% of its staff. This includes recent legal action in the United Kingdom that alleged Twitter’s firing practices were “unlawful.”