Twitter announced that it's tightening control over its API in order to protect the platform from spam and abuse.
The API from Twitter allows third-party developers to build software that interacts with the service. However, there are still too many bots, racists and trolls using the service.
For that reason, Twitter has put restriction on its API. With this measure taking place, anyone who wishes to access Twitter's API, is having a stricter and more thorough vetting process.
In the second quarter of 2018, Twitter has removed more than 143,000 apps. In the first quarter of 2018, Twitter suspended almost the exact same number of apps, which were responsible for “more than 130 million low-quality, spammy Tweets.”
The company also said to have suspended nearly 10 million "spammy or automated accounts per week." This is three times the number if compared to September 2017.
These apps "violated our policies," said Twitter without specifically explaining what those apps have done.
With the restriction, applicants are required to register on Twitter's developer portal.
Here, they need to provide information on their intentions, as well as their pland on using the API. Applications that don't meet the requirements will be rejected, and incomplete information could potentially delay their app's launch.
In addition to that, Twitter is also introducing rate limits to its POST endpoints. This is meant to limit the amount of content most existing apps can post.
If developers ever need additional features or products from Twitter's API, or change the information of their app, developers may be required to undergo "additional, more rigorous policy reviews." Twitter has plans to proactively reach out developers who may need their limits lifted, in order to prevent disruption to legitimate applications.
And the last but not least, Twitter also plans to introduce a new feature that would allow users to report "bad apps" that violate Twitter's terms of service.
"We know this new process adds extra steps and time to get started with development," wrote Twitter's executives in the blog post. "Our aim is to continue to build a platform where Twitter developers who comply with our policies can get started quickly and scale up, with little to no friction."
As one of the most influential social media around, Twitter has been in the center of controversies. Especially in politics and the spread of fake news.
Twitter has offered third-parties the access to its API since the very beginning of its inception. The idea was to facilitate the creation of an entire ecosystem, which could live on top of the social media. But as Twitter matures, it realized how developers have abused that access for their own benefiy- at the expense of users.
Twitter was in the spotlight of media's attention, especially after the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. It was also said that Twitter has become a breeding ground for trolls and people that want to alter the public's opinion, as well as for extremists in recruiting new candidates.
This makes sense for Twitter to proactively do whatever it can to limit abuse on its system.
While the restriction in API access should lower the amount of plague Twitter is experiencing, it can also more or less frustrate developers who have built apps and services around the platform.
Facebook that experienced controversies after the Cambridge Anlaytica scandal, has also tightened its policies for developers for a similar goal.