Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to announce that the platform will allow bots with “good content” to access its API for free. This represents a partial reversal of Twitter’s policy, which previously required developers to sign up for a paid tier to access the API. The move follows Twitter’s decision to put API access behind a paywall, after it shut down third-party clients like Tweetbot and Twitterrific. Elon had previously stated that the company will charge around $100 a month for bots to operate on Twitter, which was supposed to be a step towards having only ‘clean bots’ on the social media platform.

Twitter

The change was met with criticism from developers and Twitter users who rely on bots for a variety of purposes. Some bots, like ‘Make it a Quote’, are simply used for converting tweets to quote-style images, while bots like ‘Color Schemer’ suggest colors that go well together. Most bots serve entertainment purposes, while others like Pikaso, Remind Me of This Tweet, and Thread Reader offer useful functions such as screenshotting, tweet reminders, and thread reading, respectively. In light of Musk’s tweet, some developers have already announced that they will be shutting down their bots ahead of the February 9th deadline.

For Twitter, the new policy presents a money-making opportunity. The company already charges users $8 per month to stay verified and is reportedly seeking $1,000 per month from brands that want to keep their gold checkmarks. With a massive debt looming over the company, it seems like Twitter is exploring methods to monetize some sections of the platform.

However, a lot of questions remain to be answered regarding Musk’s announcement. It is unclear what qualifies as “good” content and “bad” content, or whether the policy will apply to existing or future bots. Until Twitter provides an official statement, the future of bots on the platform remains uncertain.

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