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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Twitter customers had been greeted early Saturday with an ultimatum from the social media app: Subscribe to the platform’s new premium service or lose a preferred account safety function.

A pop-up message warned customers they may lose the power to safe their accounts by way of textual content message two-factor authentication until they pay $8 a month to subscribe to Twitter Blue.

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The message stated that beginning March 19, customers who don’t subscribe will likely be locked out of their accounts till they take away the safety function.

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Listed here are some questions and solutions about why Twitter made this variation and other ways to safe your account:

WHAT IS TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION?

Two-factor authentication provides a second layer of safety to password-protected accounts by having customers enter an auto-generated code to log in.

This further step helps safeguard on-line accounts as a result of along with the password, you want entry to a separate app, system or telephone quantity the place you may obtain the code.

Such codes could be generated by apps like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator. Or they are often despatched to a consumer’s smartphone by way of textual content message.

It’s the textual content message-based two-factor authorization that Twitter is now limiting solely to subscribers of Twitter Blue.

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WHY IS TWITTER DOING THIS?

In a weblog submit Wednesday, the San Francisco-based firm acknowledged that the textual content message-based safety technique has been traditionally well-liked with its customers, however stated the function is being “used — and abused — by unhealthy actors.”

The corporate didn’t reply early Saturday to an e-mail searching for extra particulars on how the safety technique was being abused.

Elon Musk, who accomplished his $44 billion takeover of Twitter in October, has been looking for approach to maximize income on the firm.

A type of is Twitter Blue, which amongst different options permits anybody to pay for verification beforehand reserved for celebrities, journalists and different well-known folks.

In its weblog, Twitter inspired customers who should not going to subscribe to Twitter Blue to think about using different account safety choices, particularly an authentication app or safety key.

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These strategies require you to have bodily possession of the authentication technique and are a great way to make sure your account is safe.

WHAT ARE OTHER OPTIONS TO SECURE MY TWITTER ACCOUNT?

An authentication app or a safety key may even add a layer of account safety past only a password.

A safety secret is a small, transportable system that generates a set of random numbers that you just enter when prompted when logging into a web-based account.

An authentication app makes use of the identical strategy, however as a substitute of a separate bodily system, the app is in your telephone.

To arrange an authentication app to safe your Twitter account, you have to to obtain one in every of quite a lot of accessible functions to your system. They’re free within the Apple or Android app shops. In the event you’d quite not use Google or Microsoft Authenticator, there are different choices, together with Authy, Duo Cellular and 1Password.

Upon getting the app, open the desktop model of Twitter and click on on the icon exhibiting ellipses in a circle. There, you’ll discover “Settings and privateness” then “Safety and account entry” and at last, “Safety.” Right here, you may choose “Authentication app” and observe the directions to set it up. Twitter will ask you to share your e-mail deal with to do that, in case you have not already.

As soon as you’re all set, you should utilize the auto-generated numeric codes out of your authentication app so as to add an additional layer of safety when logging into Twitter.