On Saturday, many Twitter users encountered difficulties when searching for profiles, topics, and accessing their feed. Reports of these issues started appearing on DownDetector at around 12 pm. While most problems were reported on the mobile app, there were also reports of similar issues on the desktop version of Twitter.
Subsequently, Twitter CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that the company had implemented temporary restrictions on the number of daily posts users could view.
What is Twitter’s rate limit? News18 explains:
What is Rate Limit?
The term “rate limit exceeded” on Twitter means that a user has reached the maximum number of actions or requests they are allowed to perform within a specified time period. In this case, it refers to the maximum number of posts a user can view in a single day. When the “read limit exceeded” message appears, it signifies that the user has exceeded their daily limit for viewing posts, and as a result, their ability to see replies under posts and refresh their feed is restricted.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, introduced new reading limits on the platform. These limits apply to all users but are more stringent for unverified accounts. Verified accounts have a limit of 6,000 posts per day that they can read, while unverified accounts are restricted to 600 posts per day. Additionally, new unverified accounts have a limit of 300 posts per day that they can read. These limits are part of temporary measures implemented by Musk to address concerns related to data scraping and system manipulation.
What Were the Issues Being Faced?
Twitter users who encounter the “read limit exceeded” message have reached the maximum number of posts they can view for that day. This message appears primarily on the mobile app and restricts the number of replies visible under a post and the ability to refresh the feed.
Following the appearance of this message, widespread issues were reported as users were unable to view more posts beyond a certain limit. The message resulted from new temporary limits imposed by Elon Musk, who recently acquired Twitter. Musk stated that these limits were necessary to address concerns related to data scraping and system manipulation.
The limits are applicable to all users but are more stringent for unverified accounts. Verified accounts have a limit of 6,000 posts per day, while unverified accounts are restricted to 600 posts per day. New unverified accounts face a limit of 300 posts per day. The problems experienced on Saturday led to the trending hashtags #Twitterdown and RIP Twitter. Musk acknowledged the issues in a tweet, assuring users that the team was working to resolve the glitches.
These temporary limits are scheduled to expire on August 1, although it remains uncertain if they will be extended. Musk has expressed his commitment to improving Twitter for all users, aiming to make it better than ever.
Since Musk’s Takeover…
Since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and the subsequent workforce reduction, the platform has experienced increased instability, with features and even the entire site occasionally going down without explanation, according to a report by The New York Times.
On Saturday, Twitter’s engineers scrambled to identify and address the problem through private Slack channels, as reported by two employees. During this time, Twitter’s salespeople were left wondering how to communicate the issue to their advertising clients, as it became apparent that some ads were not being displayed on the platform.
According to an internal presentation obtained by The New York Times, Twitter’s U.S. advertising revenue for the five weeks from April 1 to the first week of May had declined by 59 percent compared to the previous year, totaling $88 million. The document also revealed that the company frequently failed to meet its U.S. weekly sales projections, sometimes by as much as 30 percent, the report said.
These tumultuous changes at Twitter have prompted some users to explore alternative social media platforms, such as Mastodon, which positions itself as a viable alternative to Twitter, and Bluesky, a social network that offers similar core features. Although Bluesky is currently invitation-only, the platform garnered attention on Saturday, causing its name to trend on Twitter.
Bluesky, the New Alternative to Twitter?
It’s a text-focused social media service launched for select users in February. Users can post short messages of up to 300 characters, and pictures. There is no support for videos and direct messages, or DMs, so far, as per a report by Reuters.
Bluesky runs on a decentralized framework, similar to social network Mastodon. It allows users to build independent social media experiences and users can join a specific “server”, which has its own unique set of rules, interests and participants. Read more here
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