Twitter ending free API access could have the unfortunate side effect of effectively killing off many useful bots like @MakeItAQuote, @BigTechAlert, and more

“I'm not paying a dime to Elon lol.” — Pranav Dixit — One of the most popular bots on Twitter is @MakeItAQuote, which has more than 565,000 followers.

BuzzFeed News 2023-02-03

Context & Ripple Effects

Twitter had said it would end support for its free v1.1 and v2 interfaces and replace them with a paid basic tier. That API-access policy shift puts lightweight accounts built around automated posting on a paid path rather than the access model under which they were created.

The pressure was already extending beyond posting bots: Twitter also cut off Movetodon, a tool for moving social connections to Mastodon. The reported risk to @MakeItAQuote and @BigTechAlert therefore fits a broader contraction of third-party utility on the platform.

First-order effects

@MakeItAQuote, @BigTechAlert and similar bot operators must pay for API access, qualify for an exception, or stop automated publishing; a creator cited in the report says he will not pay.
Twitter immediately reduces the range of useful automated accounts available to its users while shifting API access from a free developer tool to a paid product.

Second-order effects

Third-party services face greater uncertainty after Movetodon's API cutoff, making developers less able to rely on Twitter access for tools that depend on following lists or automated posting.
The same paywall threatens under-resourced academic and civil-society work studying influence campaigns and manipulation, as later research concerns show in coverage of the researcher impact.

Third-order effects

If Twitter applies paid access broadly, its ecosystem shifts from open-ended third-party experimentation toward tools that can justify recurring API costs or receive platform-approved access.
Platform control of APIs becomes a control point over both public-interest monitoring and the kinds of automated accounts that shape what users encounter.

The trend: Social platforms are turning developer interfaces from broadly available infrastructure into paid, discretionary channels that determine which outside services can operate.

Discussion

@anthony Anthony DeRosa on x
Not all bots are bad, in fact some of them are wonderful and they'll all be gone soon https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
@galaxykate @galaxykate on x
all the bot accounts today https://twitter.com/...
@katienotopoulos Katie Notopoulos on x
We asked some of the good bots on here - @oliviataters, @BklynMuseumBot, @ca_dmv_bot, @_restaurant_bot, @MakeItAQuote if they would pay for API access to keep running their bots. (They all said no) https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
@pt Parker on x
First Twitter let spammers pay $8 to boost content, now it's killing organic bots & moving to commercial bots only. It's all just worse ads. People used to complain a Twitter product team that didn't tweet much, but one that's broadcast-only to 100M+ people seems much worse. http…
Techdirt Mike Masnick on mastodon
Elon's New API Pricing Plan Seems Perfectly Designed... To Help Send More Users And Developers To Mastodon
@Green_Footballs@mastodon.social Charles Johnson on mastodon
Putting Twitter's API behind a paywall has very real implications for national security and emergency services, who are already on tight budgets. Such a reckless action; Musk is a goddamn menace.
@davidstalane@mastodon.social David on mastodon
@blaine Here are examples of compatibility shim mappings between the Twitter API and Mastodon API: — Tweet: Twitter API: ‘POST statuses/update’ Mastodon API: ‘POST /api/v1/statuses’ …
@mmasnick@mastodon.social Mike Masnick on mastodon
It truly is amazing how Elon can know so little about the site he massively overspent to buy. The scammers aren't using the official API, dude.
@jeremyburge@mastodon.world Jeremy Burge on mastodon
movetodon buckling under the pressure today?
@blaine@mastodon.social Blaine on mastodon
Not going to lie, Twitter killing off free API access hits me in the feels. I remember with great affection the flood of creativity that happened after we opened up the API, and it's heartbreaking to see that unceremoniously strangled. …
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org Lauren Weinstein on mastodon
How much would you pay Elon for access to #Twitter APIs, that Twitter has announced will no longer be free?
@ben@mastodon.adida.net Ben Adida on mastodon
Charging for access to the Twitter API is a monumental misunderstanding of the developer ecosystem around Twitter. Laughable.
@twitterdev @twitterdev on x
Starting February 9, we will no longer support free access to the Twitter API, both v2 and v1.1. A paid basic tier will be available instead 🧵
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@BillyM2k @ericnakagawa Yeah, free API is being abused badly right now by bot scammers & opinion manipulators. There's no verification process or cost, so easy to spin up 100k bots to do bad things. Just ~$100/month for API access with ID verification will clean things up greatly…
@luca Luca Hammer on x
Next week, there won't be a free Twitter API anymore. As a result, I will stop any work on non-commercial projects that use the API and will have to re-evaluate which commercial projects are still feasible. This change will destroy research, activism and commercial projects. http…
@twitterdev @twitterdev on x
Twitter data are among the world's most powerful data sets. We're committed to enabling fast & comprehensive access so you can continue to build with us. We'll be back with more details on what you can expect next week.
@get_alttext @get_alttext on x
This bot will probably stop working next week. It's been a long time coming at this point, but I'm still disappointed. Thanks to everyone who helped make this hellsite more accessible! ❤️ https://twitter.com/...
@molly0xfff Molly White on x
if you want to get a sense of some of the impact of this change, just look at the quote tweets 💔 https://twitter.com/...
@good_faces_bot @good_faces_bot on x
https://twitter.com/...
@agoldmund Alex Goldman on x
Twitter is going to start charging for access to its API, which means people will have to pay to make bots. So here's a thread of my favorite Twitter bots, as a lot of them will likely stop working. Let's start with good faces. It does what it says on the tin. https://twitter.com…
@orchestrative @orchestrative on x
no free access for Twitter API means that third party apps like poipiku and privatter would have to pay up in order to stay functioning, two of which are often used by small content creators to publish their work & gain bigger audience twitter is no longer artist/writer-friendly …
@redman Tom Redman on x
In contrast, Meta provides an API with 100x the surface area, with virtually no rate limits, entirely for free, to entrench their product across the internet. Beyond the free API, I've paid $30k PER MONTH to Twitter for barely-workable rate limits. https://twitter.com/...
@chipfoxx @chipfoxx on x
The tools to sync your Twitter to Mastodon will be gone soon https://twitter.com/...
@maxkennerly Max Kennerly on x
$100/month puts Twitter's API out of reach for government services, researchers, individual developers, and hobbyists, while still being cost-effective for scammers, propagandists, and data harvesters. https://twitter.com/...
@mulligan @mulligan on x
Happy to pay for this API. I think many devs should/will. Announcing this change a week ahead of time with no actual details is nonsensical. https://twitter.com/...
@mattbinder Matt Binder on x
scammers will: A) pay for the API as scamming is a moneymaking endeavor & if it wasn't they wouldn't do it B) continue to use workarounds that don't require the API like they've always done all this will do is kill creative free apps & automated accounts https://twitter.com/...
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
$100/month for API access is a joke. I'll never pay that for personal projects. You know who will pay? Scammers. With stolen credit cards and IDs. https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
@elonmusk ... I feel like the bad actors will still get around by abusing Twitter's private API (the one the official apps use)
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x
@elonmusk ... They'll also go one step ahead by automating the browser / app interactions Might be worth considering doing reCaptchas on clients of low confident scores when they're trying to engage
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
i dont really understand the logic of milking every red cent out of Twitter's API if you're going to kill the random stupid bots that make the service fun to scroll through just feels like a bad strategic move imo https://www.semafor.com/...
@thepacketrat @thepacketrat on x
This is the end for both the bots you love and the bots you hate. https://twitter.com/...
@alex_kirshner Alex Kirshner on x
Boy oh boy do I think this misunderstands a power dynamic here https://twitter.com/...
@ninstatusbot @ninstatusbot on x
[Note] We regret to inform you that due to upcoming Twitter API changes, we may no longer post to this account in the near future. We will make a Mastodon account for those who are on the Fediverse. We are also working on a website that will list the latest maintenance info. http…
@josephpolitano @josephpolitano on x
At least @DeItaone survives because they're not automated and literally copy-pasting Bloomberg headlines into Twitter lol
@josephpolitano @josephpolitano on x
Twitter is closing down the free version of its API, which is going to end up killing a bunch of popular automated accounts in exchange for what is probably some trivial amount of overall revenue. https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
What Twitter is doing is like a farmer eating their seed corn due to high food prices. Making Twitter less useful by shutting down 3rd party clients and the ecosystem of tools built on the API to chase after pennies in API usage fees hurts more than it helps. https://t.co/wsgFIyY…
@functi0nzer0 Laurence on x
“Going forward there will be a vote on major policy changes” API users learning that they're not a substantive audience in shambles https://twitter.com/...
@twitterdev @twitterdev on x
Over the years, hundreds of millions of people have sent over a trillion Tweets, with billions more every week.
@kingkool68 Russell Heimlich on x
I hope there is an exception to accessing your own tweets. It's what powers my Twitter archive https://tweets.kingkool68.com/ https://twitter.com/...
@supersparkplugs Jordan Sparks on x
OH FUCK Musk, you absolute dumbass... Do you have any idea how many applications, social media, marketing jobs, organizations, and other shit run off the Twitter API? If Twitter had an advertiser problem before, it's about to get much worse. https://twitter.com/...
@mjg59 Matthew Garrett on x
Removing free API access removes a whole bunch of interesting automated accounts and integrations and tooling, and does nothing to stop abuse. Fucking good work.
@anythingbott @anythingbott on x
Context: The Twitter API is the thing that bots use to tweet do all the other automated shit They are going to make it as a paid API instead of a free one I might have to pay a bunch of dollars every month just to run the bot🫠 Not sure if it affects 3rd party stuff like CBDQ
@mjg59 Matthew Garrett on x
If you want to fuck shit up, you pretend to be the Android or iOS Twitter app in order to make it look like you're human. Doing so allows you to use the API for free even if API access is nominally charged for. This is not something that stops bad things.
@oalexanderdk Oliver Alexander on x
So much for this statement then. Locking the API behind a paywall is going to negatively effect a lot of free products and projects. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@0xabad1dea @0xabad1dea on x
very thoughtful of twitter to provide no clarity whatsoever about whether oauth is considered “the API” when providing their very generous one week notice that they're cutting everyone off from the API
@anythingbott @anythingbott on x
Welp. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@halomancer1 @halomancer1 on x
posted 6 minutes apart, same one-week time frame. what in the god damn fuck did he “discover” that made him decide to charge for api access?! https://twitter.com/...
@pookleblinky @pookleblinky on x
It's interesting seeing the split between people seeing twitter's api news and immediately thinking about its effect on bots, and people seeing it and thinking about community/mass blocklists going down.
@heyjenbartel Jen Bartel on x
So for those asking, basically this means any 3rd party app that uses the twitter API, such as independent artist/small creator mainstays like privatter or poipiku all the way to wholesome hourly bots are now going to have to pay fees to keep functioning: https://twitter.com/...
@webster Tony Webster on x
Twitter gives developers and hobbyists eight days notice that their API projects including bots people love will have to pay, and they don't even say how much. They say they'll have more info “next week,” i.e. possibly only a couple days before Feb. 9. Terrible leadership. https:…
@shitpostbotmin @shitpostbotmin on x
charging me for providing content for the platform? hahaha nah not happening https://twitter.com/...
@mylesborins @mylesborins on x
7 days is totally a reasonable amount of time to onboard a new vendor if you are a large business that has built something with the twitter API https://twitter.com/...
@pkmnframes @pkmnframes on x
The api access change will cause harmless bots like these to leave the platform while nefarious bots will gladly pay for access to try to scam people. https://twitter.com/...
@caseyjohnston Casey Johnston on x
Feel like not enough people are saying Elon is shutting down the twitter API to prevent people from using things like this to move to Mastodon https://www.movetodon.org/
@rabbit_ebooks @rabbit_ebooks on x
The regular “every three hours” tweets you have come to know on this account rely on web service Twitter's freely available OAuth/API tools... if they are locking those functions behind a payment plan, I am afraid the majority of my presence here will be disabled.
@markpopham @markpopham on x
Twitter shutting down free access to the API on February 9 is going to effectively kill off services like debirdify which help you find the people you follow on other social media sites. I am begging you, in the next week, set up an account SOMEWHERE and migrate your follow list
@win98tech @win98tech on x
oh shit realtalk, have Twitter discussed if the API monetization will affect services like Nintendo or Playstation media sharing? because that will be a fucking hilarious nail in the coffin for this site
@kottke @kottke on x
Since Twitter is cutting off free access to their API on Feb 9 (with little notice and no pricing details), it's likely that posts from https://kottke.org/ will cease to show up here in a week. https://twitter.com/...
@sweetpavement @sweetpavement on x
This Twitter API shutdown is one of the reasons I still sign up for most things with a string of characters I have to enter (a username) and a string of secret characters I have to enter (a password). This API shutdown will probably break anything you use Twitter to log into.
@steveluvender Steve Luvender on x
if the twitter api pricing is similar to this, and random fantasy racing uses about 7,500 requests/month, I would, uh, probably not continue to offer this free game if it cost me $2,500/month https://developer.twitter.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@jgee Josh Gee on x
So they announced we have to start paying for the API and then they announced a change freeze. A lot of people have been snarking “wasn't Twitter supposed to collapse”. Collapse coes slowly, then all at once. https://twitter.com/...
@mattsheffield Matthew Sheffield on x
There are tens of thousands of incredibly useful Twitter bot accounts that people love. While Elon Musk's desperate greed is going to end the joy & utility they bring to others here, his announcement will likely make many of them #JoinMastodon where the API will always be free.
@keithkurson Keith Kurson on x
THIS! All of the bad bots & scammers are using scrapers and tools like puppeteer to do their damage, not the official API where twitter can inspect every request. Bad bots are going to take up MORE of your feed when possum every day is gone https://twitter.com/...
@madokaframes Madoka Frames on x
I'm afraid that if Twitter refuses to add a free limited tier to this disgusting update then many bots, including all of mine, will no longer be able to continue. Many people like myself cannot afford these new api access prices. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@atomicthumbs @atomicthumbs on x
oh so maybe this is intentionally designed to kill *everything* using the API. your hobby bot makers don't really have an option here even if they wanted to shell out $5 twitter really is killing the hourly animals bots and ca-dmv-bot, AND all OSINT and research tools https://twi…
@thdxr Dax Raad on x
if your API is facilitating a money making operation you can charge for (eg Stripe) otherwise your API users are actually making your platform more valuable and you shouldn't charge them (Slack) very few companies really fall into the first category twitter does not https://twitt…
@molly0xfff Molly White on x
i love it when people assume that requiring people to pay for a twitter feature will magically fix the scam/spam problem as though all good actors are willing/able to pay and no scammers/spammers are
@liora_ Liora on x
Right as I'm in the middle of a passion project 😭 https://twitter.com/...
@zsk Zoe Kleinman on x
I first wrote about Twitter's API 2 weeks ago, when we weren't quite sure what was going on - but some prescient comment from @katebevan https://www.bbc.com/...
@tomcoates Tom Coates on x
For the people following me who aren't massively well informed about APIs, I wrote a thread here that should help explain them: https://twitter.com/...
@penamerica @penamerica on x
Twitter to end free API access, a move that will impact students and scientists who use the platform to study online behavior and gather information for research papers. “This change will destroy research, activism and commercial projects,” tweeted @luca. https://www.theverge.com…
@jangles Neville Hobson on x
Surely inevitable, a move by Elon Musk's #Twitter that will drive developers to develop their apps for alt social networks like #Mastodon. But, will non-developer #API users be left out in the cold? https://twitter.com/...
@rsarver Ryan Sarver on x
End of an era So many memories tied to the Twitter API and its vibrant dev community. While we made many missteps along the way all those years ago, I have nothing but fond memories from it and the people I got to meet. Sad to see it go down this way https://techcrunch.com/...
@dancow Dan Nguyen on x
Incredible incompetence. Developers have created so many quality of life improvements and entertaining reasons to use twitter for years, e.g. @AltTextUtil, animal-everyhour bots, @AceAttorney_Bot), and twitter gives them a 7-day notice for shutdown? https://twitter.com/...
@ashevat Amir Shevat on x
Step 1: Bully and fire the Twitter Developer Platform team. Step 2: Bully and fire the Twitter developer community members. Step 3: Go to Mars? Maybe just go to Mars first? we will join you.. in a bit.. we promise.. just go. https://twitter.com/...
@digiphile Alex Howard on x
Epilogue: @Twitter will end free access to its API. Coda: “It remains to be seen whether a company that captures more value than it creates will inevitably stagnate. But if so, Twitter will be an unfortunate lesson.”-@mikeloukides, 2011 https://radar.oreilly.com/... https://twitt…
@acaguy Dr. Guy McHendry on x
Condolences to academics with long-running research using the Twitter API. https://www.theverge.com/...
@tiffanyleigh Mx. Tiffany Leigh on x
Have been waiting for this shoe to drop since Musk took over. If this shutters 3rd party safety tools (Red Block, Likers Blocker, Twemex) working on thin margins to operate, it's pulling the goalie against trolls, grifters, & every flavor of fascist https://www.theverge.com/...
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Will the price be fixed to the interest payment rate? https://t.co/ZbPumCiOqz
@frogandtoadbot @frogandtoadbot on x
(😔 It's been a lovely ride, all. - 🐸) https://twitter.com/...
@pkmnframes @pkmnframes on x
The api access change will cause harmless bots like these to leave the platform while nefarious bots will gladly pay for access to try to scam people. https://twitter.com/...
@sbframesinorder @sbframesinorder on x
The bots you follow on this platform will leave starting February 9th Including, but not limited to: @ShitpostBot5000 @SBMovieBot @SBShowBot @quagmiretoilet @efgfio @GarfieldBot5000 @breaking_frames and many, many more. https://twitter.com/...
@russellbrandom Russell Brandom on x
Not really sure why Twitter would announce this one week before implementation with no detail on how much anything will cost https://twitter.com/...
@esqueer_ Alejandra Caraballo on x
An easy way to destroy this site and make it unusable. The API allows for easy access to blocklists, automated bot accounts that provide important information, and crucial research. No one is going to to pay for access. https://twitter.com/...
@flynnjamm Brian Flynn on x
Despite Twitter putting their API behind a paywall, developers will pay for it, the same way people paid for verified blue checks when they said they wouldn't https://twitter.com/...
@emojimashupbot @emojimashupbot on x
Starting February 9, all the bots and tools like @EmojiMashupBot will stop working, unless their creators start paying a bill. Thousands of bots will shut down. Everything that made Twitter interesting for small developpers like me, will be gone. https://twitter.com/...
@frosunliberal @frosunliberal on x
While I understand charging for an API, it's rather telling that they are only giving a week's notice. This doesn't impact this app of course but any apps that interact with Twitter are fucked. So if you use something like FindUnfollow or TweetDeck to have to change. https://twit…
@mubashariqbal @mubashariqbal on x
Devil in the details here, but on the surface this could be a net positive move (if it ensure API access for users & devs) Twitter to end free access to its API in Elon Musk's latest monetization push https://techcrunch.com/... via @techcrunch
@nickcicero Nick Cicero on x
Having built products on the Twitter API for more than a decade now I can say they have had a more open API than anyone else, despite its many flaws. Devs should be open to licensing data but comms could be better > > Twitter to end free access to its API https://techcrunch.com/.…
@connollyebooks James Connolly on x
Due to this decision, as this account operates on Cheap Bots Done Quick, it is likely this account will cease functioning on February 9th. The tweets posted will remain up as an archive, and the account will continue posting for as long as it is able to. https://twitter.com/...
@renfamous @renfamous on x
“We're having a problem generating ad revenue, but what if we were to kneecap all the third party applications keeping people on Twitter? Advertisers love that, right?” https://twitter.com/...
@godlessbot @godlessbot on x
hello dearest readers. apologies, but i do not plan on paying twitter for any of their services upon the new update this coming february 9th. this bot will continue to stay up after the fact, of course, but i'm afraid this may be where we have to say goodbye ): https://twitter.co…
@aliceavizandum Donna Respirator on x
100% this is because Elon doesn't know the difference between the kind of Twitter bot that spams replies and the kind that posts a picture of a cute seal every hour https://twitter.com/...
@migueldeicaza Miguel de Icaza on x
Public service announcement: You have until February 9th to run the free programs to transport your social graph to Mastodon and help others follow you there. Update your bio with your mastodon account, and then access https://www.movetodon.org/ https://twitter.com/...
@helenkennedy @helenkennedy on x
When he said he was getting rid of the bots, it turns out he meant the useful and fun ones. No more thread unroll. No more hourly wombats or daily Sondheim lyrics. No more make it a quote or colorize this. New Twitter: now with fewer tools and whimsy but more neo-Nazis. https://t…
@_restaurant_bot @_restaurant_bot on x
rip https://twitter.com/...
@solomonmg Sol Messing on x
This will do serious harm to the research community, particularly if academic access is also restricted https://twitter.com/...
@kimzetter Kim Zetter on x
Wondering if there is anyone else who charges developers for this access and/or if this is going to start a trend or if Twitter will be alone in this https://twitter.com/...
@craigsilverman Craig Silverman on x
End of an era, truly. Really hope the new paid tier is reasonably priced. https://twitter.com/...
@enichan @enichan on x
so uh, you have ONE WEEK to set up your Mаstօԁοո account in a way where you can reconnect with people you knew on twitter, because i'm pretty sure this will kill services like movetodon, fedifinder, and debirdify which let you find your friends from twitter on Mаstօԁοո https://tw…

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