Twitter is chaos. Elon Musk, its new owner, has decimated his staff and this week gave those who remain an ultimatum: work long hours and “extremely hard” or leave. Hundreds chose to leave.
There are already signs that the exodus is stressing the system. Some users had trouble receiving texts for two-factor authentication. Test pages appear like crazy. Some users receive a barrage of spam in their direct messages or feed, while others complain about receiving new replies to long-deleted Tweets and their saved draft Tweets disappearing. Even so, the bird’s site continues to flutter.
Twitter is not going to shut down overnight. But security experts warn that drastic staff cuts could open the door for bad guys to exploit vulnerabilities in the platform and put user accounts at risk.
While there isn’t much you can do about Musk’s demolition of one of the world’s key online information ecosystems, there are steps you can take to protect your account if you, like millions of others, aren’t prepared to. hollow out the wing in search of an alternative.
Activate multi-step authentication
If you only use your username and password to log into Twitter, it’s important, especially now, to add a step to the process to make it more difficult for hackers to access your account.
On Twitter you can choose between three methods: text message, an authentication app or a security key. Since there have been some glitches and users haven’t received text messages to authenticate their accounts, an authenticator app may be your best option, which is also often considered a more secure option.
To do so, you need to download one of several apps available on your device. They are free in the Apple or Android stores and some of them are Google or Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, Duo Mobile and 1Password.
Once you have the app, open the desktop version of Twitter and click the icon that shows an ellipsis in a circle. There, you will find “Settings and privacy”, then “Account access and security”, and finally “Security”. Here you can select “Authentication app” and follow the instructions to activate it. Twitter will prompt you to share your email if you haven’t already.
Once you’re ready, you can use your authenticator app’s auto-generated numeric codes to add an extra layer of security when you sign in to Twitter.
Prevent access to third parties
Jane Manchun Wong, an independent software and security researcher in Hong Kong who closely follows Twitter, recommends removing permissions to third-party sites and apps from your Twitter account.
This is because if there were to be a security problem with the Twitter API (the application programming interface that allows third parties to access Twitter data to create apps that work with Twitter, for example), because there are fewer people working in the company, the solution will inevitably take longer.
To disable this functionality, go to the “Account access and security” tool and then “Applications and sessions”. There you should see all the third-party apps that are connected to your Twitter account—including some that you may have connected years ago that no longer exist—and you can revoke access to all of them.
Download the files
For the nostalgics, researchers, or digital hoarders among us, the thought of losing a decade or more of our history on Twitter is a catastrophe. But fear not. It may take time, but you can download your Twitter “archive” if you want to ensure its preservation…just in case.
Like other more complex features, this tool is only available on the computer version of Twitter, in the “Your account” section in settings. You will have to re-enter your password and go through two-factor authentication if you have it enabled. When your file is ready to download, you’ll receive a notification on Twitter. Again, you’ll need to download the file on the computer version of the site. Although this process usually takes 24 hours, it may now take longer. Some users have also reported having to try more than once.
Keep Followers List
Although there is no perfect replacement for Twitter, many users, especially those in journalism, technology, and academia, are signing up for Mastodon, a hitherto little-known platform that launched in 2016. Mastodon is a decentralized social network. That means it’s not owned by a single company or a billionaire. Instead, it is made up of a network of servers, each running independently, but able to connect so that people on the different servers can communicate. Signing up can be tricky, but no matter which one you choose, you can communicate with people on other servers, much the same way you can send email from your Gmail account to people on Outlook or another email server.
Once you’re signed up, you can go to fedifinder.glitch.me and find who you follow on Twitter or whatever Twitter lists you have to see if they also have Mastodon accounts. Many Twitter users are also posting other social media and information in their bios or even Twitter display names so others can contact them.
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