Elon Musk’s Twitter has once again made it harder for users to interact with a competing online service. Links to the Substack blog platform have been blocked since the weekend, after Substack announced an innovation called Notes that could become a direct competitor for Twitter.
When users attempt to share content from Substack on Twitter, they are met with a message claiming that the link is potentially insecure. The founders of Substack hope that this action is a temporary error. Initially, Musk did not comment on the matter, but he is the sole spokesperson for Twitter after the dissolution of its press department.
Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter and is looking for ways to boost its business, including subscription income. With Substack, anyone can publish their texts and market them as a newsletter in a subscription model. Some well-known journalists including Seymour Hersh have used the platform to earn money with subscriptions.
Previously, Twitter had a newsletter platform called Revue, which was shut down after Musk acquired it in the fall. Many Revue users, including some big names, ended up at Substack.
This isn’t the first time Twitter has attempted to restrict links to other online platforms. In January, links to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter alternative Mastodon were affected. The move was quickly reversed after receiving heavy criticism.
The Substack block has also caused disagreements within the Musk camp. US journalist Matt Taibbi, who was hired by Musk to uncover alleged abuses and government censorship at the platform, announced that he would rather have a Substack presence than Twitter. Musk responded by unfollowing Taibbi’s profile.
