Twitter has announced that it will be offering free access to its application programming interface (API) for emergency and transportation services, following a controversial decision to put its API behind a paywall. This move will allow verified government and publicly-owned service providers to continue posting alerts, weather updates, transport updates, and emergency notifications to the platform for free.
Twitter’s decision to restrict access to its API was heavily criticized, with many transportation and emergency accounts experiencing issues posting alerts to the platform. The US Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) were also among the many services that had problems with API access.
Twitter’s reversal means that “public utility” users can access the API for free, but it is unclear what the platform means by “verified.” The MTA has welcomed the decision, saying that it is “happy that Twitter has committed to making API access free for the MTA and other public sector agencies.” However, the MTA is currently assessing its options for service alerts going forward.
Other affected services, such as the National Weather Service (NWS), the United States Geological Survey, and the US Forest Service, have directed users to other ways of receiving real-time alerts.
With the free version of Twitter’s API, users can only post 1,500 automated tweets per month.
What is Twitter’s API, and why was it going behind a paywall?
An API is a set of rules and protocols that allow developers to access and use an organization’s services or data. Twitter’s API allows developers to integrate Twitter into their own websites and applications, including accessing data about tweets, trends, and user profiles.
In February 2021, Twitter announced that it would stop offering free access to its API and launch a paid version for developers worldwide. The decision was made in response to the growing demand for Twitter data and the costs associated with maintaining and updating the API.
However, after facing backlash from several emergency and transportation accounts, Twitter has backtracked and will now offer free access to its API for verified government and publicly-owned service providers.
The Bottom Line
Twitter’s decision to offer free API access to emergency and transportation services is a welcome relief for these providers who rely on the platform to communicate real-time information to the public. It remains to be seen how Twitter’s decision will impact the future of its API and whether other types of users will also be able to access it for free.
