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Twitter said less than 3% of users employed 2FA to secure accounts in the second half of 2021.
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john g mabanglo/Shutterstock
Twitter Inc. said it would soon limit a method of two-factor authentication—a login technique that typically requires users to supplement passwords with codes—on its platform to paid subscribers.
Starting March 20, only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to use 2FA via text message or SMS, Twitter said in a blog post. Accounts without Twitter Blue subscriptions will have 2FA authentication disabled after that day.
Use of an authentication app or security key to log in would still be permitted for nonpaying users, according to the company. Authentication apps generate time-based login codes and physical security keys can be used to authenticate user information.
Some users began receiving messages on Friday about the 2FA removal when they accessed the platform.
About 2.6% of accounts enabled at least one 2FA method in the second half of 2021, according to a Twitter transparency report published last year. Many internet platforms have been encouraging users to adopt 2FA in recent years to help prevent account takeovers and support cybersecurity efforts. It is unusual for a platform to tie 2FA to a specific business model, and several internet researchers and cybersecurity professionals criticized Twitter’s move as one that could compromise some users’ account safety.
Twitter, under the ownership of
has been on the hunt for ways to bring in additional revenue through Twitter Blue, layering in features such as being able to edit published tweets and make longer ones. Twitter Blue was initially launched in 2021 and then a remade version of the subscription service was introduced late last year in a bid to reduce its reliance on advertising.
Write to Patience Haggin at patience.haggin@wsj.com
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