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Severity
72 / 100▼6
SEVEREpeak 81ranked #2 of 42people’s rank #3 · preview
Case 002 · Social · Admitted 2016
The Enshittification of Twitter / X
The Enshittification of Twitter / XTwitter introduced algorithmic feed ranking in 2016, and after Elon Musk's 2022 acquisition the platform moved core features behind paid subscriptions. Paid verification replaced the legacy checkmark system, third-party clients were banned, free API access ended, and read rate limits were imposed. Later policy changes opted users' posts into AI training by default, including for third-party companies.
First symptom
Feb 2016
Symptoms on file
9
Categories
5
Prognosis
Severe
2 privacy · 1 quality · 3 pricing · 2 features · 1 lock-in
Alternatives
The Paper Trail
| Date | Category | Symptom · rating · source |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-02 | features | Twitter introduces algorithmic timeline rankingTwitter began placing algorithmically recommended tweets at the top of users' timelines instead of showing only reverse-chronological posts, following user backlash under the #RIPTwitter hashtag.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2022-11 | pricing | Paid verification launch triggers impersonation waveTwitter rolled out an $8-per-month Twitter Blue subscription that sold blue verification checkmarks; fake accounts impersonating brands, celebrities and athletes proliferated, and the program was suspended within days.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-01 | lock-in | Twitter bans third-party client appsTwitter updated its developer agreement to prohibit using its API to create substitute clients, formalizing a cutoff that had already disabled apps such as Tweetbot and Twitterrific without prior notice to developers.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-02 | pricing | Twitter ends free API access for developersTwitter announced it would end free access to its API and launch paid tiers, a change that affected researchers, bot makers and tools built on the platform; a basic tier was later priced at $100 per month.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-04 | features | Legacy verified checkmarks removed from accountsTwitter removed legacy blue checkmarks from accounts verified under its previous notability-based system, leaving verification badges primarily for paying Twitter Blue subscribers and organizations.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-07 | quality | Twitter imposes daily limits on reading tweetsTwitter began limiting how many posts users could read per day, initially 600 for unverified users and 6,000 for verified users, with Musk citing data scraping and system manipulation.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2023-08 | pricing | TweetDeck becomes subscriber-only X Pro productX made X Pro, formerly the free TweetDeck dashboard, available only to paying subscribers, following a July announcement that the tool would require verification.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2024-07 | privacy | X opts users into Grok AI training by defaultX enabled a default setting allowing user posts and interactions to be used to train xAI's Grok chatbot without notifying users, prompting Ireland's Data Protection Commission to say it was 'surprised' by the move.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2024-10 | privacy | Privacy policy allows third-party AI training on postsX updated its privacy policy, effective November 15, 2024, to allow third-party 'collaborators' to train AI models on X user data unless users opt out.↳ TechCrunch |
The Wall
- No complaints on file yet. Be the first to vent.
<a href="https://enshittification.xyz/twitter-x"><img src="https://enshittification.xyz/badge/twitter-x.svg" alt="Twitter / X on the Enshittification Index"></a>The Enshittification Index · 42 case files · no source, no entry · updated Jun 2026
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