On April 7, Twitter users on mobile and web found themselves unable to interact with tweets that contained links to Substack pages. When many users try to like, retweet, or reply to a post containing a Substack link, they receive an error message stating that "Twitter has disabled certain actions on this Tweet." In some cases, users reported that the UI seemed to record their likes or retweets, but upon inspection, it didn't appear to be counting or displaying the interaction.
It's unclear if this issue is a bug or an intended feature. As of April 6, Twitter appears to have cut off the ability for Substack users to embed tweets in their posts, but according to The Verge, a spokesperson for Substack did not clarify whether they believe the issue involved a change or bug in the Twitter API. However, The inability of Twitter users to interact with tweets containing Substack links appears to have started at the same time, suggesting that the two issues are related.
The issue comes on the heels of a number of mysterious recent changes to Twitter, including the platform's replacement of Twitter's bird logo with an image of a Doge for several days and the acquisition of a "national media" label by the nonprofit media organization National Public Radio (NPR).
It’s also worth noting that Substack released “Notes” on April 5th, a Twitter-like posting app that could be considered a competitor to the bird app. Substack is often considered a place for expert bloggers to share ideas with a like-minded community, and the crypto community has taken advantage of this to a great extent.
There are countless cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Web3-related blogs on Substack with millions of subscribers. As one Twitter user pointed out, preventing engagement with posts by these authors featuring their work could have a chilling effect on free discussion: Substack co-founders Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and Jairaj Sethi told Cointelegraph in a written statement, “We are disappointed that Twitter has chosen to limit writers’ ability to share their work,” adding:
"This sudden change reminds us why writers deserve a model that holds them accountable, rewards great work with money, and protects a free press and free speech. Their livelihoods shouldn't be tied to a platform where they don't own a relationship with their audience linked, and the rules can be changed at will."
