News
Twitter will no longer mention which device tweets come from
It will now be more difficult to shame Android users on Twitter.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
Twitter is removing the label that says where a tweet comes from.
New owner Elon Musk tweeted the announcement, which had its own “Twitter for iPhone” label. Maybe that’s why he keeps complaining about how slow the app is on Android devices.
The label is the one next to the timestamp on every tweet. It contains important information about if the tweet came from human hands, was automated, or features advertising content.
It doesn’t take up any space vertically, as it’s on the same line as the timestamp.
It’s also information that Twitter routinely collects, as it tracks which devices, browsers, or apps its users are tweeting from.
That’s essential for managing development time and deciding where to focus other resources.
Head of Twitter says tweets will no longer get device labels
According to Musk, “no one knows” why these labels were on the tweet.
Except… that’s not true. Heck, clicking on that label goes to a Twitter help page titled “How to Tweet,” which explains the tweet source labels in the second section.
From the help page:
“Tweet source labels help you better understand how a Tweet was posted. This additional information provides context about the Tweet and its author. If you don’t recognize the source, you may want to learn more to determine how much you trust the content.“
That clearly says that the source label is an important identifier of how trustworthy the source could be. Twitter also uses this label to identify paid content. The FTC requires this for any company that sells advertising space.
Not that Musk seems to care. Twitter is already under an FTC consent decree after settling in May over misusing two-factor authentication phone numbers for advertising purposes.
That could bring big fines to Musk or any other executives at Twitter. Perhaps that’s why most high-profile executives have been leaving Twitter in droves.
Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- Elon Musk says Twitter will ban unlabeled parody accounts
- Why a world without Twitter will be a better one
- This secret Facebook tool removes your phone number and email
- Instagram for desktop just got a great redesign
Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News
