Alexander Savenkov Social media mogul Elon Musk has faced backlash after Twitter implemented rate limits on user accounts due to concerns over excessive data scraping and system manipulation. Critics argue that Musk may have unintentionally disrupted the censorship industry’s activities, prompting an expert to caution that he has “stirred up a hornet’s nest.”
Twitter Implements Rate Limits to Counter Data Scraping
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter chief, has generated controversy by introducing temporary rate limits on the number of tweets users can read per day. Musk justified this move in a tweet on Saturday, citing the need to address issues related to rampant data scraping and system manipulation on the platform.
According to Musk’s initial announcement, verified Twitter accounts could access up to 6,000 posts per day, while unverified accounts were limited to 600 posts. New unverified accounts were further restricted to only 300 posts daily. Musk later tweeted that the rate limits would be raised to 8,000 for verified users, 800 for unverified users, and 400 for new unverified users. Subsequently, he indicated that the limits would be increased even further to 10,000, 1,000, and 500 respectively.
Musk’s decision received widespread criticism, with many expressing concerns that user engagement and interactions would significantly decline. Some users stated that a social media platform that limits engagement is unwelcoming to its users, prompting them to seek alternatives.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), CEO of Binance, offered his perspective on the matter, suggesting that viewing should remain unrestricted, while posting and commenting should be limited. He later revised his suggestion, proposing that only commenting needed limitations.
Censorship Expert Highlights Musk’s Unintentional Impact
The imposition of daily rate limits followed a growing trend of AI programs extensively scraping tweets, including the widely used Chatgpt. After Twitter implemented the limits, Chatgpt users reported that the AI model could no longer access tweets.
Mike Benz, the executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, referred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and tweeted:
“Musk has unknowingly provoked a major challenge by taking this action.”
Offering insights from a censorship industry standpoint, Benz argued that Musk’s actions would have far-reaching implications for the field. He emphasized that AI-driven censorship is a pivotal area, describing it as the source of significant developments and advancements.
Benz elaborated that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) could potentially censor 22 tweets, AI technologies such as the Enterprise Intelligence Platform (EIP) and other censorship groups allowed the censorship of 22 million tweets. He stated that the construction of an AI censorship “death star” depended on massive scraping of Twitter data to build models and databases that monitor trends, conduct surveillance, and compile intelligence dossiers on online communities.
Furthermore, Benz highlighted that these AI models were unique to Twitter, enabling real-time tracking of emerging narratives. They have been utilized by numerous entities, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), government-funded NGOs, and nonprofit foundations. He stressed that scraping hundreds of millions of tweets was crucial to constructing the social media censorship “death star.”
Benz acknowledged that while Musk’s actions limited internet openness, they also potentially hindered the development of the censorship “death star,” which receives significant funding from sources like DARPA and the National Science Foundation. He expressed uncertainty about Musk’s motivations but warned that numerous censorship operatives, housed within university research centers, would perceive this as an attack on democracy and their access to data.
Benz concluded that without access to the underlying data used for AI censorship models, these operatives would struggle to effectively carry out their tasks with speed, precision, and comprehensiveness.
Share your thoughts on Twitter’s rate limits and the implications for censorship, according to Mike Benz. Let us know in the comments section below.
Table Of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about rate limits
What are the rate limits imposed by Elon Musk on Twitter?
Elon Musk has implemented temporary rate limits on Twitter. Initially, verified accounts could read up to 6,000 posts per day, while unverified accounts were limited to 600 posts. New unverified accounts could only access 300 posts per day. These limits were later increased to 8,000, 800, and 400 respectively, and then further raised to 10,000, 1,000, and 500.
Why did Elon Musk introduce rate limits on Twitter?
Elon Musk introduced rate limits on Twitter to address concerns related to excessive data scraping and system manipulation on the platform. These limits aim to combat these issues and maintain the platform’s integrity.
What is the controversy surrounding the rate limits?
The rate limits imposed by Elon Musk have sparked controversy among users. Critics argue that user engagement and interactions will decrease as a result of these limits. Some users express dissatisfaction with a social media platform that restricts engagement, leading them to consider alternative platforms.
What are the implications of the rate limits on censorship?
According to a censorship expert, the rate limits have unintended consequences on the censorship industry. The expert suggests that the limits disrupt the construction and refinement of AI-driven censorship models. These models heavily rely on scraping Twitter data to track trends, conduct surveillance, and build intelligence dossiers. The expert warns that restricting access to such data hinders the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of censorship operations.
How does the expert view Elon Musk’s action?
The expert believes that Elon Musk’s implementation of rate limits has stirred up controversy and inadvertently challenged the censorship industry. While acknowledging the impact on internet openness, the expert suggests that Musk may have unintentionally hindered the development of a censorship “death star” funded by sources like DARPA. The expert emphasizes that this action has drawn criticism from censorship operatives who rely on extensive data access for their work.
More about rate limits
- Elon Musk’s Twitter Announcement on Rate Limits
- Twitter’s Official Statement on Rate Limits
- Discussion on Controversy Surrounding Rate Limits
- Insights from Censorship Expert Mike Benz
- DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Implications of AI-driven Censorship
- Importance of Twitter Data Scraping for AI Censorship
- Censorship Industry and Funding Sources
4 comments
CZ has point. not limit viewin, limit postin n commentin. no1 posts 800 a day. onli comment needs limit. imo.
elon musk limitin tweets? bad move!! engagemnt wil decline for sure. sad to see socia media not welcomin usrs anymore. bye.
Musk unknwingly stired up hornet’s nest with rate limits. What about censorship indstry? AI models scrape millions of tweets for censrship death star! Mindblowing!
Wow, didn’t know DARPA involved in all this. Massive scraping of tweets for censorship? That’s intense! Musk unknowingly messin with deep stuff. Who knew?