Twitter said on Friday that it will only allow paid subscribers to use text messages as a two-factor authentication (2FA) method to secure their accounts.
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Twitter said on Friday that it will only allow paid subscribers to use text messages as a two-factor authentication (2FA) method to secure their accounts.
After March 20, “only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to use text messages as their two-factor authentication method,” the company tweeted.
Two-factor authentication, to make accounts more secure, requires the account holder to use a second authentication method in addition to a password. Twitter allows 2FA by text message, authenticator app, and security key.
The company believes that phone number-based 2FA is being abused by “bad guys,” according to a Wednesday blog post that the company tweet is linked to.
Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted “Yup” in response to a user tweet that the company was changing its policy “because Telcos used a Bot Account to pump SMS 2FA” and that the company was losing $60 million a year “because of SMS Cheat”.
The blue checkmark, previously free for verified accounts of politicians, celebrities, journalists and other public figures, is now open to anyone willing to pay.
Last month, Twitter said it would price the Twitter Blue subscription for Android at $11 per month, the same as for iOS subscribers.
