Elon Musk’s free speech movement suffers a setback with Twitter blocking interaction with numerous cryptoblogs.
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On April 7, Twitter users, both on mobile and on the web, found themselves unable to interact with tweets containing links to Substack pages.
When many users try to "like", retweet or reply to posts containing links to Substack, they receive an error message that "some actions on this tweet have been disabled by Twitter". In some cases, users report that the user interface seems to record their "likes" or "retweets", but on closer analysis it doesn’t seem to count or display interactions.
Attempts to "like" and share Substack tweets seem to have been disabled.
It is currently unclear whether the problem is a bug or an expected function. It seems that Twitter stopped Substack users from embedding tweets in their posts as of April 6, but according to The Verge, a Substack spokesperson did not clarify whether the issue was a Twitter API change or a bug. The impossibility for Twitter users to interact with tweets containing Substack links seems to have started around the same time, indicating that the two issues are related.
We’re investigating reports that Twitter embeds and authentication no longer work with Substack. We are trying to resolve the issue and will share updates as soon as more information becomes available.
The issue comes in the wake of several recent changes made to Twitter, including the presence - for a few days - of the image of Dogecoin instead of the Twitter logo, and the integration of the label of "state media" for the no-media organizationprofit National Public Radio (NPR).
It should also be noted that on 5 April Substack announced "Notes", a Twitter-like posting application that could be seen as a competitor to Twitter.
Substack is often considered a place where experienced bloggers can share their thoughts with like-minded communities, which the crypto community has taken advantage of to a large extent.
There are countless cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web3 blogs on Substack, with millions of subscribers. As one Twitter user pointed out, blocking interaction with posts by these authors presenting their work could have a daunting effect on free speech:
Elon Musk blocked all Substack links on Twitter, preventing them from being replicated or appreciated.
This gives a huge advantage to the Multimedia Information Movement (MSM) that he claims to be negative, but so much so.
I deleted my Twitter account blue and I probably won’t be on this godforsaken platform for much longer. Please follow me on Substack (link below)
Cointelegraph contacted Substack for a comment: "We are disappointed that Twitter has chosen to limit the ability of writers to share their work," say Substack co-founders Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie and Jairaj Sethi at Cointelegraph, adding:
"This abrupt upheaval reminds us why writers deserve a model that puts them in charge, that rewards great work with money and that protects the free press and freedom of speech. Their livelihood should not be tied to platforms where they do not possess the relationship with their audience and where the rules can change on a whim".
Cointelegraph contacted Twitter for a comment, receiving a poop emoji in response.
Translation by Walter Rizzo