Elon Musk recently addressed concerns over data scraping on Twitter by implementing temporary restrictions on the number of posts users can read per day. This decision was made in response to thousands of users experiencing widespread issues with the platform. Many users received an error message stating that they had “exceeded” their “rate limit,” suggesting a violation of Twitter’s rules regarding tweet downloads and views.
Mr. Musk expressed his concerns about data scraping, stating on Friday that it was negatively impacting the real user experience, affecting several hundred organizations. However, he did not specify the duration of these limits or the conditions for their removal.
Initially, verified accounts were limited to 6,000 posts per day, while unverified and new unverified accounts were restricted to 600 and 300 posts, respectively. However, these limits were later raised to 8,000 for verified accounts, 800 for unverified accounts, and 400 for new unverified accounts. Eventually, Mr. Musk increased the limits again to 10,000, 1,000, and 500, respectively.
Amidst these changes, Mr. Musk humorously commented on Twitter, stating that he was “rate limited due to reading all the posts about rate limits.” His strong dislike for organizations scraping Twitter and utilizing tweets for research or training AI programs is well-known. Nevertheless, this alteration triggered frustration among users, with many questioning the extent of the curtailed online activity.
Social media buzzed with memes and discussions revolving around the trending phrase “rate limit exceeded.” Downdetector, a website monitoring website malfunctions, reported a significant surge in user complaints regarding Twitter problems.
Some users voiced pragmatic concerns regarding the impact of daily limits on monitoring severe weather updates, which often involves scrolling through numerous tweets containing updates, alerts, and warnings.
The frustration was palpable, as meteorologist James Spann called Twitter’s changes a “total dumpster fire” and expressed his belief that the platform had become practically useless for the weather enterprise.
When seeking a comment from Twitter’s communications department, an email only received a response in the form of a poop emoji.
Since Mr. Musk took over Twitter in October, the platform has experienced increased instability, with features or even the entire site occasionally going down without explanation. Engineers within the company raced to diagnose the recent problem in private Slack channels. During this period, Twitter salespeople were unsure how to address advertisers, as some ads were not being displayed on the social network.
Internal data obtained by The New York Times revealed that Twitter’s U.S. advertising revenue for the five weeks from April 1 to early May was $88 million, down by a staggering 59% compared to the previous year. The company consistently fell short of its U.S. weekly sales projections, sometimes by as much as 30%, as stated in the document.
The turbulent changes at Twitter have prompted users to explore alternative social media platforms like Mastodon, which strives to be a viable alternative to Twitter, and Bluesky, a social network offering similar core features. Bluesky is currently invitation-only, but the platform’s name trended on Twitter during this period, indicating increased interest.
Clearly frustrated, one Twitter user pleaded, “I need a Bluesky code so bad bro.”
It’s worth noting that these changes by Elon Musk and the ensuing reactions on Twitter have sparked conversations about the platform’s future and the search for alternatives.
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