File photo of Twitter logo | photo credit: Reuters
Digital newsletter creation platform Substack said it is looking into reports alleging Twitter embed and authentication has stopped working on its site, even though users said the Substack link was flagged as possibly “unsafe” on Twitter.
Substack helps users start and send digital newsletters to a list of subscribers for free or through a paywall.
Twitter and Substack users raised complaints when they struggled to like or retweet Twitter posts containing Substack links. Others said they couldn’t add tweets to their Subtopic newsletters unless they took screenshots.
Upon clicking on the Substack newsletter link, users were shown a page discouraging them from leaving Twitter, claiming that the Substack link “may be unsafe.”
(For today’s top technology news, subscribe for our tech newsletter Today Cash)
Twitter flags Substack newsletter link as possibly “unsafe” Photo credit: Twitter
In addition, users entering the term “substack” into a Twitter search were shown results for the term ‘newsletter’ instead.
Twitter shows users results for ‘newsletter’ when they search for ‘substack’ Photo credit: Twitter
Substack shared a statement from its founders on Friday, which said, “Any platform that benefits from the work of writers and creators, but doesn’t give them control over their relationships, inevitably has to wonder how those platforms How to react.”
The news comes as Twitter’s revenue from its top advertisers fell sharply in recent months following CEO Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition.
Twitter has yet to make an official statement addressing the issue.