Twitter continues to change its functions since Elon Musk acquired the company.
Twitter users expressed their disgust at the company’s tampering with a key component of a security feature.
The social media network announced on February 17 that it would stop allowing its users the ability to use their phone to complete two-factor authorization to avoid invasive stares from potential hackers.
DO NOT MISS:Twitter announces a big change in its security practices
Security experts said the login approach, also known as multi-factor authorization, which involves using a password and receiving a separately generated code to make hacking more difficult, is a much-needed security tool.
Users immediately tweeted about the latest change, which appears to be counterproductive. an user,@citizengatsbyhates the change and tweeted: “Whoa, this is silly.”
Having a security feature in an app is not just a feature, but a critical security feature that protects your users.@brosandprosetweeted.
“I had a stalker for years who would spend hours trying to hack into my accounts. I would get dozens of 2 factor texts in a row,” he tweeted. “It was horrible, but also a great lesson in how vital these security features are. Elon Musk is now charging for a basic necessity.”
Security for a monthly fee
Twitter will now only allow two-factor authorization if users want to pay $8 per month to use it on the web and $11 to use it on their mobile phones via iOS or Android if they sign up for Twitter Blue.
Twitter Blue is the paid subscription service introduced by CEO Elon Musk shortly after he completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year.
“After March 20, 2023, we will no longer allow non-Twitter Blue subscribers to use text messages as a 2FA method,” the company said in a blog post.
“We encourage non-Twitter Blue subscribers to consider using an authenticator app or security key method instead. These methods require you to have physical possession of the authentication method and are a great way to ensure your account is secure,” the company said.
Since Musk took the company private, he has pursued various strategies and released features to generate more revenue. Twitter Blue is one of the few monetization tools available to the company outside of ad sales. Musk has been scrambling to cut costs and increase revenue to help shoulder the massive debt burden he took on to buy the microblogging service.
It laid off thousands of Twitter employees shortly after the acquisition closed in late October.
Twitter users are not fans of the change that was made.
“Elon Musk is removing the minimum security from a Twitter account, two-step authentication, unless you #GiveElonOcho“, he tweeted@MelaynaLokosky. “All an ex-Twitter engineer has to do is create a third-party job to mess with Elon. It’s amazing how much Musk doesn’t understand revenue models.
Removing the security app doesn’t seem to be a popular strategy,@hemantmehtatweeted.
“Just a wildly idiotic move by Musk and Twitter,” he said. “As if less security is better for a site known for spreading misinformation.”