Twitter Free API Access Restored for Limited Purposes: Emergency, Weather, and Transportation Alerts Only

Urian B., Tech Times 02 May 2023, 08:05 pm

For many citizens, the news of Twitter's recent decision to shut off its free API initially appeared to be a cause for concern. Public institutions and developers, who relied heavily on the functionality of the app programming framework, were thrown into disarray as they were met with price hikes and jumbled restrictions.

Implications of Twitter Restricting Free Access to its API

The announcement in March included a three-tier pricing structure that limited free access to bots and app testers who require nothing more than the ability to write posts. It was limited to 1,500 tweets per month and included only one app ID that could not meet the needs of various content creators.

According to the story by Engadget, the basic access tier was bumped up to a flat fee of $100 a month, with a set amount of tweets attached and enterprise-level tiers that exceeded tens of thousands of dollars for those willing to pay for access.

When Twitter announced plans to shut off its free API, many public institutions that relied on it for content streams, emergency alerts, and other key information were blindsided by the move.

Restoring Free Access for Government and Public Services for Critical Purposes

It didn't just hurt the developers who had willingly paid for extended access and more features but also blocked vital services provided by many governments like New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

With no warning and little explanation, these and many other services had to find other ways to publish while breaking complex information architecture. With no viable options, the MTA had stated it would stop posting service updates on Twitter altogether, while Microsoft had even disabled Twitter screenshot sharing for gamers.

Thankfully for the many public and private services that depended on Twitter's free API, the company has finally restored free access to the app programming framework. This is provided for verified government and public services for "critical purposes" such as emergency notifications, transportation updates, and weather alerts.

Twitter Restores Free Access for Critical Purposes

The move is a reversal from March when Twitter announced a new three-tier pricing strategy for its API, where it had limited free access to bots and testers that only needed to write posts. Another article by Business Insider shares how Musk could charge for Twitter API access.

Access to the Basic tier was a relatively modest $100 per month but was capped on the maximum number of tweets and one app ID. In contrast, costly enterprise-level tiers required businesses to meet their monthly needs with tens of thousands of dollars.

Twitter's move is an acceptance that their strategy of cutting off previous free features, no matter how much it clicked as an economics lesson, had created too many problems. Per Twitter Devs, free access to tools for "critical purposes" has been granted.

Twitter's move provides a much-needed lifeline, especially for governments who need as many channels as possible to provide important information. It also relieves a Millennial generation long accused of being apathetic and uncaring.