The move follows Twitter abruptly changing its API terms in recent weeks; the API was used by many popular Twitter clients, such as Tweetbot and Twitterrific, which is why most third-party apps have shut down their mobile apps.
“Twitter data is among the most powerful data sets in the world. We are committed to allowing quick and complete access so you can continue to build with us,” the Twitter Dev account said in another tweet. “Over the years, hundreds of millions of people have sent more than a trillion tweets, and billions more every week.”
In the wake of recent changes that caused Twitter to shut down third-party clients, many other app developers became cautious about the ways they advanced development on top of the Twitter API. This new move could cause some developers to abandon their products or pass the cost on to their customers.
Some accounts even already indicate that they will stop interacting on the platform, since they do not want to pay for the service, whatever the rate.
Hi All, I regret to announce you all that this bot will stop working on 9th of February (Next week) due to new Twitter’s API policy. I have no intention on paying Twitter for basic API usage.
You can continue to follow the bot on Mastodon:https://t.co/tGsVdbTKyu
It’s been fun https://t.co/bNwJ4eqLjG
— Possum Every Hour (Please See Pinned Tweet) (@PossumEveryHour)
February 2, 2023
Why thousands of accounts could disappear?
Thousands of developers use the Twitter API for operations such as tracking changes between Twitter accounts and offering alerts. These are side projects that aren’t a business per se for the developers, so a lot of people aren’t going to pay to have fun.
In addition to these types of accounts, another segment that will be affected will be that of researchers. Twitter’s new announcement could impact research in different areas, including hate speech and online abuse, as universities often use Twitter to study human behavior in different regions.
