Twitter mentioned on Friday it’s going to enable solely paid subscribers to make use of textual content messages as a two-factor authentication (2FA) technique to safe their accounts.
After March 20, “solely Twitter Blue subscribers will be capable to use textual content messages as their two-factor authentication technique,” the corporate tweeted.
To be clear, two-factor authentication continues to be not required to log into Twitter, though we extremely encourage customers to allow it. This variation simply restricts the 2FA strategies out there for accounts not subscribed to Twitter Blue.
— Twitter Assist (@TwitterSupport) February 18, 2023
Two-factor authentication, meant to make accounts safer, requires an account holder to make use of a second authentication technique along with a password. Twitter permits 2FA by textual content message, authentication app and a safety key.
The corporate believes phone-number-based 2FA is being abused by “dangerous actors,” based on a Wednesday blog post that the corporate’s tweet linked to. “So beginning at the moment, we’ll now not enable accounts to enrol within the textual content message/SMS technique of 2FA except they’re Twitter Blue subscribers. The provision of textual content message 2FA for Twitter Blue might range by nation and provider,” the corporate mentioned within the publish.
Customers who haven’t subscribed to Twitter Blue however have already got SMS based mostly 2FA enabled may have 30 days to disable it and enrol in one other technique, based on Twitter
Twitter proprietor Elon Musk tweeted “Yup” in reply to a person tweet that the corporate was altering coverage “as a result of Telcos Used Bot Accounts to Pump 2FA SMS,” and that the corporate was dropping $60 million (roughly Rs. 490 crore) a yr “on rip-off SMS.”
The blue examine mark, beforehand free for verified accounts of politicians, well-known personalities, journalists and different public figures, is now open to anybody ready to pay.
Final month, Twitter mentioned it could worth Twitter Blue subscription for Android at $11 (roughly Rs. 900) per thirty days, the identical as for iOS subscribers.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
