Twitter blocks users from tweeting links to many major servers for Mastodon, one of the most notable Twitter alternatives. The ban was issued on the platform sometime during a chaotic Thursday evening after journalists and Mastodon’s own account were unexpectedly suspended.
Attempting to tweet many Mastodon links results in an error message that reads, “We are unable to complete this request because this link has been identified by Twitter or our partners as potentially harmful.” Twitter currently blocks links to the original mastodon.social server and over 10 other domains The edge tested.
The ban on Mastodon follows the recent controversy surrounding @ElonJet, an account that tracks the whereabouts of Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s private jet. On Wednesday, Twitter suspended the @ElonJet Twitter account and, shortly after, the personal account of the person who controls it. Twitter also introduced a new policy that prohibits people from sharing another person’s live locations.
On Thursday, Mastodon’s Twitter account was suspended, and while we’re not exactly sure why, the ban happened shortly after the account tweeted a link to @ElonJet’s page on Mastodon.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment, although it has disbanded its news agency. Mastodon also did not respond to a request for comment.
