Twitter will stop freeing its API service which is widely used by developers. As a result, bot accounts such as 'menfess', 'base' and Thread Reader accounts are threatened with disappearance.
In its tweet, the Twitter Developer account said that starting February 9, 2023, Twitter will not provide free access to the Twitter API, either version 2 or 1.1. Instead, Twitter will provide a paid basic tier, as quoted from The Verge, Sunday (5/2/2023).
It looks like the policy to no longer make the Twitter API free comes directly from Twitter CEO Elon Musk. In his tweet, Musk claimed the free API was being abused by fraudulent bots and 'opinion manipulators'.
"Just ~$100/month for API access with identity verification will clean things up," he continues. Twitter itself has not announced how much the monthly fee is for using the basic version of the Twitter API.
For those who are not familiar, API stands for Application Programming Interface. So far, the Twitter API allows third-party developers to receive and analyze public Twitter data.
This API can then be used to create bot accounts, or even third-party applications such as Twitterific and Tweetbot. Well, Twitter itself recently banned third-party applications because they were deemed to have violated the rules after the company with the bird logo renewed its developer agreement.
Though Twitter API is not only used by fraudulent bots. Many popular accounts in Indonesia, such as dozens of 'menfess' and 'base' accounts, are bot accounts. Not to mention hundreds of other accounts that make it easier for users to explore Twitter, including ThreadReader, Song Finder Bot, to Alt Text Reader.
Biolbe, one of the service providers 'auto menfess' was confused about this new Twitter policy.
"For those who are curious about the future for the Twitter base. Because there is news that the basic API needs to be paid. Just wait for the game date. We also don't know what it will be like in the future," Biolbe said in a tweet on Twitter.
Since being purchased by Musk in October 2022, Twitter has indeed been increasingly monetizing its platform to boost revenue. One of them is by launching Twitter Blue where users can get a blue tick by paying USD 8 per month.