this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2023
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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/513993

So today I clicked a twitter link because companies like to use it for official announcements, only to be greeted with a login page. Was annoyed then I remembered nitter exists. It just prompted me to install Privacy Redirect which I should have done ages ago.

Github: https://github.com/SimonBrazell/privacy-redirect

Chrome Web Store: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/privacy-redirect/pmcmeagblkinmogikoikkdjiligflglb/related

Firefox Browser Add-ons: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/privacy-redirect/

Looks like twitter waited for the reddit API changes to do push this change to try to do it under the radar.

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[–] ThetaDev@lemmy.fmhy.ml 33 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Elon posted this on Twitter (quoted from an private blog since I currently have no way to access twitter):

Temporary emergency measure. We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users! Several hundred organizations (maybe more) were scraping Twitter data extremely aggressively, to the point where it was affecting the real user experience.

Lets hope that they lift this ban soon.

[–] Martineski@lemmy.fmhy.ml 68 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I hope for the opposite, this platform should die IMO

[–] ThetaDev@lemmy.fmhy.ml 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm definitely not using this platform anymore, but Twitter being private also locks away a lot of valuable content (including government announcements, as someone mentioned).

[–] Martineski@lemmy.fmhy.ml 41 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, we should move away from the platform and this will definitely help with that.

[–] ThetaDev@lemmy.fmhy.ml 22 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If the reason for the ban is massive server load due to content scraping for AI models, that could become an issue for the fediverse as well. Our infrastructure is funded by donations and has much less performance and resiliency than big tech companies.

We might reach a point where the negative impacts on the environment caused by AI outweigh the benefits, just like it already happened with blockchains.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 year ago

If the reason for the ban is massive server load due to content scraping for AI models

He's not genuine whatsoever. I'll believe this was the reason to lock Twitter when I see evidence of it. Remember how he wasn't going to [layoff 75% staff; block payments for utilities / rent; cancel bonuses; etc]? Troll troll troll.

[–] meldroc@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Might get to the point where anti-DDOS measures have to be used against AI scrapers.

[–] Martineski@lemmy.fmhy.ml 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That's not ai's problem but applications/sites problem.

Edit: and ai will accelerate the progression of our technology and science by a crazy amount so I REALLY doubt that the impact on the environment will outweight positive impacts made by ai's.

[–] beeng@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

It was AI the whole time, plus there is Proof of Stake crypto now.

[–] mochi@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Governments should just set up a single user ActivityPub instance to broadcast their updates.

[–] Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Reality: Musk has degraded Twitter's performance to the point they can't handle unauthorized access.

[–] grinde@programming.dev 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] onepinksheep@kbin.social 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And that, Musky, is why sites generally provide an API and don't lock it behind prohibitive pricing. Because the alternative is to scrape your site, and that's more resource intensive for the site in question.

[–] lucidwielder@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Obviously they don't mind imo because it also slows them down to some degree and since normal users and uses for it will go down I imagine things will either be wash or still be cheaper for them. Also Elon clearly has ambitions to best others in the AI game - it is just the experts in the field already parted ways w/ his arrogant self.

[–] soundasleep@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If only there was some sort of reasonably-priced computer-readable service or platform that organisations could use to collect data without degrading the service of users...

[–] lowdownfool@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

Exactly. API users migrated to using scrapers instead of paying what NuTwitter wants for shitty service. Who could have foreseen that?

[–] ox0r@lemmy.fmhy.ml 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

OT but it amazes me at what point musk sounds like trump when posting lol, he really just is technotrump

[–] gruvn@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Please let #technotrump catch on.

[–] ox0r@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Somebody hack twitter and juste turn it in one orange page

[–] Nougat@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

... data pillaged ...

Meaning ... people were using your publicly available website?

[–] BossDj@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago
[–] GhostOnTheHalfShell@fedia.io 9 points 1 year ago

Pillaged… in Musk speak means a normal day of traffic.

[–] Haan@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Both Reddit and Twitter making sure their data won't be used for training chat bots without a hefty price tag