Today, we bring you one more “Elon Musk making friends” story. The future ex-CEO of Twitter (at least in theory) hasn’t stopped making some pretty questionable moves since he became lord and master of the social network. From making features like the checkmark or uploading hour-long videos pay, to making the algorithm display (and a lot of it) his own tweets, Musk doesn’t know what else to do to get people to leave Twitter.
The latest of their brilliant measures? Eliminate SMS as a two-step verification system when logging in. In this way, Twitter would only leave you with the options of using an authentication app such as Google Authenticator or a login key, which is stored on the device where you use the social network.
Twitter explains this move on its blog, “While historically a popular form of two-step verification, we’ve unfortunately seen phone number-based two-step verification used – and abused – by miscreants. So, starting today, we will no longer allow accounts to sign up for SMS two-step verification unless they are Twitter Blue subscribers”.
Users who have activated this two-step verification method will have until March 20 to switch to the other two systems. After this time, two-step verification will be automatically deactivated for those who have not changed their settings.
Elon Musk says that, in addition to being a security problem, this system will save the company a lot of money, since the cost of sending SMS messages is assumed by Twitter itself. However, and like practically everything he has done since he arrived, he has done it badly and with terrible communication.
While it may be true that two-step verification via SMS is overpriced and more insecure than the other two methods mentioned, it is also the system used by many users who do not know how to use the other verification systems and who, as of March 20, could have their account unprotected.
Moreover, not removing the feature for good and including it as a Twitter Blue feature completely contradicts his pro-security statement, and exposes that Musk’s only interest in removing this verification system is the financial savings it brings.
