Twitter announced Friday that users who don’t subscribe to Twitter Blue will soon have to stop using text messaging as a two-factor authentication method to secure their accounts.
The social media platform, which was acquired by billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk last year, updated its users on the new policy in an email press release Wednesday and said it will no longer allow non-Twitter Blue subscribers to use text messages as a two-factor authentication method after March 20.
Two-factor authentication is a tool that requires users to enter a security code or key in addition to their normal password to gain access to their accounts.
“This extra step helps ensure that you and only you can access your account,” Twitter said of the process.
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The company said the change was the result of “bad actors” abusing the two-factor authentication system for phone numbers.
All users who are not subscribed to Twitter Blue and still have two-factor authentication via text enabled will lose access to the service on March 20 unless they unsubscribe themselves.
In addition to text messages, Twitter offers two other methods of two-factor authentication: an authenticator app and a security key. Both of these methods remain free and available options for non-Twitter Blue members who still want to apply an extra measure of security to their accounts.
“Using free authentication apps for 2FA remains free and much more secure than texting,” Musk said tweeted Saturday.
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Simrin Singh
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