Twitter to ban users linking to major social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram

Twitter has said it will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social media platforms, including rivals Facebook and Instagram, or which links off to them.

The move also affects platforms Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post.

Twitter gave no explanation as to why the list included those seven websites but not others such as Parler, TikTok or LinkedIn.

“We know that many of our users may be active on other social media platforms; however, going forward, Twitter will no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms on Twitter,” the company said in a statement.

"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 social media site is also banning promotions of third-party social media link aggregators such as Linktree, which some people use to show where they can be found on different websites.

Twitter's owner Elon Musk recently drew criticism when he suspended the accounts of several reporters over a controversy on publishing public data about the billionaire's plane.

Twitter previously took action against one of the rivals, Mastodon, after its main Twitter account tweeted about the @ElonJet controversy last week.

Mastodon has grown rapidly as an alternative for Twitter users who are unhappy with Musk’s overhaul of Twitter since he bought the company for $44 billion in late October.

Some Twitter users have included links to their new Mastodon profile and encouraged followers to find them there.

But that’s now banned on Twitter, as are attempts to bypass restrictions such as by spelling out “Instagram dot com” and a username instead of a direct website link.

Since taking over the company, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has laid off more than half of the platform’s 7,500 staff, which has increased fears about the firm’s ability to successfully moderate the site, previous reports suggest.

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