Twitter Implements Block on Rival App Threads’ Links in Search Results, Hindering User Access. Some Users Discover Workarounds. This Isn’t Twitter’s First Instance of Blocking Links to Competing Apps.
(FILES) In this photo illustration taken in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2023, an image of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is reflected on the opening page of Threads, an Instagram app. Mark Zuckerberg, who has faced years of negative media coverage and scandals, is now witnessing an improvement in his reputation within the ever-changing tech industry, largely influenced by the increasingly unpredictable actions of Elon Musk. (Photo by Stefani REYNOLDS / AFP) (AFP).
According to reports, Twitter is said to be blocking links to its latest rival app, Threads, which is led by Meta, from appearing in its search results page. Threads recently achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the fastest app to surpass 100 million downloads, outpacing the generative AI-based chatbot ChatGPT.
The issue was initially brought to attention by a user named Andy Baio within the Threads app. Baio noticed that conducting a search using the term ‘url:threads.net’ yielded no results, despite it being expected to display all tweets containing links to Threads.net websites.
Numerous other Twitter users also highlighted their inability to locate tweets containing the Threads link.
Nevertheless, some users have swiftly discovered a workaround to bypass the new restrictions imposed by Twitter. To search for posts containing links to Threads, users can employ the phrase “url:Threads net” in their search query on the micro-blogging platform.
According to reports, this is not the first instance of Twitter blocking links to a competing application within its platform. Earlier this year, the company led by Elon Musk implemented restrictions on tweets containing Substack links, preventing users from liking, retweeting, or replying to such tweets. Musk defended this restriction by asserting that Substack was attempting to download a significant portion of Twitter’s database to jumpstart their social media rival.
The rivalry between Meta and Twitter escalates:
Threads, which was introduced on July 6, 2023, aimed to establish itself as “the public conversation app with 1 billion people on it.” Data provided by web analytics company Similarweb indicates that Twitter’s web traffic has witnessed an 11 percent decline since the launch of Threads, in comparison to the corresponding period last year, as reported by Reuters.
The competition between Meta and Twitter has intensified lately, featuring a highly anticipated clash between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Additionally, Twitter has issued a warning of potential legal action against Meta, alleging the unauthorized use of the company’s trade secrets and other intellectual property through the recruitment of former Twitter employees to develop a “copycat” application.
