Social media app TweetDeck placed behind paywall

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP): Social media app TweetDeck began going behind a paywall on Tuesday, with users of platform X, formerly known as Twitter, being diverted to a paid-subscription sign-up page when they tried to access it.

X announced in July that TweetDeck, a popular program that allows users to monitor multiple accounts and lists of users at once, would be available only to “verified” account holders from August.

On Tuesday, users attempting to access the service, now rebranded as X Pro, were required to pay for X’s blue checkmark verification for an annual fee of $84.

The social media firm, bought by billionaire Elon Musk last year, has been thrashing around for ways to make a profit, cutting staff and ramping up its paid-for subscriptions.

Last week, CEO Linda Yaccarino said that the company was “close” to breaking even and would beef up staffing that had been slashed by Musk.

X’s verified users are mostly those who have paid to receive the blue checkmark, though Musk has gifted the verification symbol to some.

On Wednesday, several sources reported that X appeared to be applying a five-second delay to certain websites. The slowdown is allegedly targeting competitors and companies with which Elon Musk has had a history, such as The New York Times, Reuters, Instagram, and Blue Sky, another social network.

TweetDeck, launched more than a decade ago, shows messages in columns and its search and posting functions operate differently to the website or the app.

Twitter bought London-based TweetDeck in 2011, with technology media putting the price tag at $40 million at the time.