Twitter has announced that its SMS two-factor authentication (2FA) service will be limited to its subscribers from March 20

 

Twitter has announced that its SMS two-factor authentication (2FA) service will be limited to its subscribers from March 20. This means that users who secure their accounts via text message will lose an additional layer of security unless they subscribe to Twitter’s service. 2FA requires two forms of identification to log in, and is widely used across various online platforms. The additional identification layer asks for an authentication code sent over SMS. Twitter said that SMS authentication can “be used – and abused – by bad actors.” Although SMS authentication is being paywalled, 2FA can still be used via an authentication app or a security key. This development comes after the micro-blogging site announced that its application programme interface (API) would also take the paywall route. The API provides a way for third-party applications to interact with Twitter’s service. The platform’s paywall strategy comes as advertisers pull back spending following Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover of the company in 2016. Ad spending reportedly fell by 70% in December. Twitter Blue, which is available in India for a monthly fee of INR650 ($9.14) on the web and INR900 on mobile devices, offers services such as the blue checkmark and an edit tweet button. Twitter users can enable 2FA by opening the Twitter app and navigating to Settings > Security and account access > Security > Two-factor authentication. Users have the choice of three options – text message, authentication app, or security key. The authentication app requires the installation of an app such as Google Authenticator.