So much for “absolute free expression.”
Twitter is censoring Substack links by making it hard to respond, like, or retweet them. When quote-tweeting works, using the retweet button results in the following error message: “Some activities on this tweet have been blocked by Twitter.”
The timing of this action does not seem to be a coincidence. Substack introduced its Notes function two days ago, which looks quite similar to Twitter. Unlike other new Twitter alternatives, Substack has a significant advantage: people use it, and many authors already have large followings there. Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss are two such authors, with whom Twitter CEO Elon Musk collaborated to create “The Twitter Files.”
Under Musk’s ownership, Twitter has also made attempts to censor material from Mastodon, an open-source social network that grew rapidly after Musk took over Twitter. Mastodon’s account was momentarily blocked in December, and publishing links to Mastodon servers was prohibited. On its previously suspended Twitter account, Mastodon said, “Not a good sign if you need to build a wall to keep people in.”
Not a good sign if you need to build a wall to keep people in. Twitter did it to last year, and they're doing it to #Substack now. They can get away with anything as long as they keep you locked in. The future of social media is open and decentralized.https://t.co/o9C0mekuMp
— Mastodon (@Mastodon@mastodon.social) (@joinmastodon) April 7, 2023
“We’re disappointed that Twitter has chosen to restrict writers’ ability to share their work. Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else,” Substack’s founders wrote in an emailed statement. “Their livelihoods should not be tied to platforms where they don’t own their relationship with their audience, and where the rules can change on a whim.”
