Adam Mosseri says spam attacks on Threads “have picked up” so Meta is tightening “things like rate limits” and warns of “unintentionally limiting active people”

It looks like Twitter isn't the only one having to turn to rate limits — or limits on how many posts users can view — as it turns out.

TechCrunch 2023-07-18 Sarah Perez

Context & Ripple Effects

Threads’ move follows Twitter’s earlier defense of rate limiting as an anti-abuse measure, making usage caps a shared response to spam pressure among large social platforms.

The key trade-off is already explicit: throttling hostile activity can also constrain legitimate heavy users. Later Threads and Instagram reports of accounts being restricted amid moderation failures show why implementation quality matters as much as the policy itself.

First-order effects

Meta will tighten Threads rate limits to curb the reported spam attacks, while accepting that some active legitimate users may be caught by the controls.
High-volume Threads users face less predictable access or posting activity while Meta adjusts its anti-spam thresholds.

Second-order effects

Twitter’s parallel use of limits, including DM limits for unverified accounts, reinforces rate limiting as a competitive baseline for abuse control rather than a platform-specific exception.
Creators, communities, and third-party services that depend on sustained activity may have to adapt behavior to platform caps, increasing the cost of false positives for newer networks seeking engagement.

Third-order effects

If platforms continue to rely on usage caps during abuse spikes, social-network access will become more dynamically governed by risk controls rather than uniformly available to all active users.
The durable challenge is calibration: overly broad controls can turn anti-spam systems into a product and trust problem, while weak controls leave network quality vulnerable to coordinated abuse.

The trend: Social platforms are increasingly treating rate limits and other access controls as core anti-abuse infrastructure, despite the risk of limiting legitimate participation.

Discussion

@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Lmaooo Copy 🐈
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on x
Elon Musk is a trend setter Rate limits: Coming soon to Threads [image]
@iamnot_elon @iamnot_elon on x
@elonmusk @RampCapitalLLC I doubt many people will run into their Threads rate limits
@greg16676935420 Greg on x
@elonmusk @RampCapitalLLC [image]
@amitisinvesting Amit on x
LMFAO YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME $META THREADS IS INSTITUTING RATE LIMITS TO COMBAT SPAM THIS IS THE EXACT REASON ELON PUT IN RATE LIMITS 2 WEEKS AGO AND WAS DESTROYED BY THE MEDIA FOR IT [image]
@0xgaut Gaut on x
threads implementing rate limits has to be the most hilarious outcome yet [image]
@badgermantv Seb Kowalke on x
The difference between Twitter's and Threads' rate limits is that nobody is around to complain about Threads' rate limits.
@iamnot_elon @iamnot_elon on x
The only people running into their Threads rate limits are the brands they paid to post @elonmusk
@libsoftiktok @libsoftiktok on x
Threads, the “Twitter killer” app, just announced they're introducing rate limits. This comes just a few weeks after the outcry from the mainstream media when they declared Elon is destroying Twitter because he implemented rate limits. I'm sure the media will be all over this!
@rampcapitalllc @rampcapitalllc on x
It's even more over than previously thought possible [image]
@harrymccracken @harrymccracken on x
Rate limits are the new social-networking hotness. https://techcrunch.com/...
@zoeschiffer Zoë Schiffer on x
An under appreciated part of this dynamic is that it's making Twitter employees better at Twitter
@stephen_geiger Stephen Geiger on x
Threads just implemented rate limits!😂 “The most entertaining outcome is the most likely” - @elonmusk [image]
@liblaughs @liblaughs on x
This is hilarious. https://techcrunch.com/...
@ozraeliavi Avi Yemini on x
Imagine getting excited about threads only to realise Meta does EVERYTHING worse than Twitter. Even groomers need rate limits.
@greg16676935420 Greg on x
Everyone: Rate limits are stupid I'm leaving Twitter for good to use the other app where they don't limit me!!! The other app: [image]
@richontech Rich DeMuro on x
Wait now Threads has to rate limit folks because of spam? I though that's why “everyone” left here....
@efarraro Eric Farraro on x
Next stop: increased rate limit for Meta Verified subscribers. Save this tweet.
@mosseri Adam Mosseri on threads
Spam attacks have picked up so we're going to have to get tighter on things like rate limits, which is going to mean more unintentionally limiting active people (false positives). If you get caught...
@datadrivenmd Dr. Jorge Caballero on threads
I've seen some folks complaining about it on my feed, but nobody that I actually follow. The common theme from those that are complaining is that they appear to be engaged in audience building...
@reporterzoe Zoe Schiffer on threads
True and same. Also, communication before it starts happening is cool.
@tvisgreatest Ryan on threads
Haven't seen anyone actually encounter a Threads rate limit though.
@reporterzoe Zoe Schiffer on threads
It's giving Twitter 🫠
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
Comment spam really picked up last week and had started becoming a pain to manage. Glad the Threads team is on it.
@crumbler Casey Newton on threads
Feels like a real growth opportunity in a world where tweets no longer unfurl much of the time. I'd prioritize it
@oliverdarcy Oliver Darcy on threads
🙏 for the day Threads unfurls in iMessage
@sailesh.patel Sailesh on threads
I'm glad that this isn't just a me problem. All the replies I can see on threads I'm looking at are spam bots and it's disappointing to say the least. It's great to see the visibility on this...
@logically.jc John Collins on threads
But, how will I know if there are sexy singles in my area or great deals on my extended car warranty?! Jk, keep it up.
@notjustavet.bsky.social @notjustavet.bsky.social on bluesky
What about stories like this? — I'm not sure that threads' pushy algorithm can really build actual communities, and without that backbone it may be destined to fail 🤔 — I feel Bluesky is taking the grassroots approach, which is slow and gradual, but the only one that can real…
@caseynewton.bsky.social Casey Newton on bluesky
I realize this won't be a popular opinion around here. But of all the Twitter clones so far, Threads has the most juice. I wrote about why ➡️ https://www.platformer.news/ ... [image]
@titterdaily @titterdaily on x
@CaseyNewton @sriramk You act as if Twitter was consistently profitable before he took over. It's been unprofitable for 15/17 years of its existence. [image]
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@TitterDaily It was a $5 billion business and he wiped out half the value in nine months
@steven_aquino Steven Aquino on x
This is, as usual, thoughtful work by Casey. As a disabled person—and as a journalist—it disheartens (but isn't surprising) me that nobody has covered the big accessibility problems of Threads. When Casey said 1.0 is “bare-bones,” he isn't fucking exaggerating.
@sriramk Sriram Krishnan on x
@CaseyNewton there's a lot of projection happening here that Twitter dies and Threads wins!
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@sriramk fortunately we have lots of good data that Twitter is dying. Elon tweets about it all the time [image]
@dannygroner Danny Groner on x
@CaseyNewton If Threads thrives, it means that Instagram has placed deeper claws into additional people. Which determines that our shared society has turned into Pride Rock under Scar's leadership.
@neeraj_sane Neeraj Sane on threads
seriously, it was birthed last WEEK. What are the benchmarks for success here? Genuinely curious. What do typical retention rates for new apps look like? Some of the coverage around usage is ridiculous.

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