The dispute between Twitter and Substack is now over.
The company behind the popular microblogging platform recently reversed its decision of throttling tweets with Substack links in them, allowing users to interact again in a limited manner in the meantime.
Twitter possibly decided to throttle tweets with Substack links as a response to Substacks' new service called Substack Notes, which seeks to mimic Twitter's format in many ways, per Fox Business.
Substack's Return To Twitter
Twitter users adding Substack links were greeted with a much-welcomed development: Twitter is once again allowing users to interact with Substack links freely, though in a limited manner. According to an Engadget report, Twitter users can retweet, reply, and like posts featuring a Substack link newsletter; Twitter won't issue a safety warning if users click on them, either.
Previously, Twitter users couldn't retweet, reply, or even like a tweet with an outgoing Substack link, with Twitter displaying an error message saying it disabled some actions on such tweets, per Mashable. Additionally, the microblogging platform marked Substack links as unsafe despite being perfectly otherwise, per The Verge.
It is unknown if users' limited interaction will last for the foreseeable future. Interestingly enough, Twitter searches for "substack" still return results involving the word "newsletter."
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Substack rejoiced with Twitter's decision to reverse its throttling of tweets with Substack links. According to the company's official Twitter account, it is glad to see that Twitter's suppression of Substack publication Twitter appears to be over and that doing so is the right move for writers worldwide who deserve "the freedom to share their work."
Substack also hopes that it can coexist with Twiterr and complement each other.
The throttling is possibly due to Substack's efforts to roll out its new Substack Notes service to the public, which seems to mimic Twitter's format in many ways. This new Substack service allows writers to publish ideas or discussions that can travel through the platform's network, much like a tweet.
However, instead of rewarding users who create content that garnered views regardless of its value to users, Substack Notes will reward users for "respecting the trust" of their readers.
Elon Musk: A Free-Speech Hypocrite?
Twitter's CEO, Elon Musk, is in a bind. He previously claimed to champion free speech on Twitter when he acquired the microblogging company in late 2022 but chose to go back on his word on numerous occasions, per Tech Crunch.
A few of the more prominent examples of this behavior is his suspension of users posting links to other social media sites, particularly links from Twitter alternatives. Additionally, Musk suspended various journalists without giving any reason why he did it, though it could be due to them tweeting about the jet tracker issue before.
As a result of this behavior, Dr. Joyojeet Pal, associate professor of information at the University of Michigan, said that Musk is only a free speech absolutist "so long as it works within his business interests," per Forbes.
Related Article: Substack is Adding 'Notes' to the Platform Which Appears like Tweets
