Is this the Twitter 2.0 Elon Musk promised? The company seems to be developing in ways that nobody anticipated. Perhaps there is some underlying logic to their actions that we’re missing.
Elon and his team’s most recent announcement says that users who are not also signed up for Twitter Blue will no longer be able to use two-factor authentication via text message starting next month.
Twitter’s authentication method is now available at a price. Your two-factor authentication will stop working on March 20 if you don’t upgrade to Twitter Blue ($8 per month on Android, $11 per month on iOS) or switch to a much more secure authenticator app or physical security key.
That should give Twitter reason to believe that the accounts it receives requests to access are being used by real people, even though Twitter Blue signups aren’t actually verified. That means the new policy could be designed for the accounts of those who can afford and are prepared to pay for the service.
Twitter users who are not on Blue but are already enrolled “have 30 days” to change their preferences. After March 20, 2023, we will no longer permit non-Twitter Blue subscribers to use text messages as a 2FA method. At that time, accounts with text message 2FA still enabled will have it disabled.”
Consequently, you will no longer have an alternative way to secure your account. Security methods such as an authentication app or using a security key, are still available, though neither of them is helpful.
Twitter two-factor authentication; Two sides on a coin!
I don’t think Twitter sees the activity of spammers here! Some might attempt to initiate the ‘evil side’ of this new policy leading to more account hacks and more problems with people losing access, which is not a great direction for Twitter’s growth plans.
It’s also possible that this will entice more users to upgrade to Twitter Blue, which would increase the company’s revenue. And to reiterate, Twitter Blue is only a form of verification, at least from the company’s point of view.
Maybe Twitter believes that increasing the number of people who are required to pay will increase the platform’s security and lead to the elimination of automated accounts that are not willing to pay the service’s monthly fee.
I fear that this is a misguided strategy that will do more harm than good. Any Twitter user who places any value on their account should probably reevaluate their security measures, but this is especially true for those who control brand handles.
Twitter has reason to be worried, and it seems likely that they think taking away this option will make it harder for spammers and scammers to use the app.
