Twitter Takes Away Text Message Two-Factor Authentication From Non-Blue Users

Microblogging site Twitter has asked users who are not subscribed to its subscription service Twitter Blue to remove text message-enabled two-factor authentication from their profiles by March 19, 2023.

“Only Twitter Blue subscribers can use the text message two-factor authentication method,” the prompt read.

Twitter users are receiving prompts on mobile and on the web that they must remove the text message-based authentication system to avoid losing access to their accounts.

The development comes after Twitter Blue launched in India, with a monthly plan of INR 650 a month, and an annual plan of INR 6,800 per year.

The price is almost exactly the $8 (INR 662) a month Twitter Blue came out for everyone else in the world last year, despite owner Elon Musk stating that the price would be adjusted according to a country’s macroeconomic factors, such as purchasing power per capita.

However, non-Blue users can still protect their accounts via either creating a physical security key (a USB drive encrypted to allow a user to log in) or the app-based authentication method.

Text message two-factor authentication adds a layer of security to a user’s profile. A user with a verified phone number on Twitter can receive a one-time password (OTP) to log into their accounts, along with having to put in the password. 

However, the feature would only be available to Blue users from now on. This move can be perceived as getting more users to subscribe to Twitter Blue or cutting the costs of having to generate OTPs for millions of non-paying users around the world.

Twitter’s move to reduce the security of arguably millions of users comes at a time when it has allegedly had the worst data breach in its history in December 2022. According to Israeli cybersecurity firm Hudson Rock, a major data breach by a hacker reportedly affected more than 40 Cr Twitter accounts globally.

The data set included emails, usernames, followers and phone numbers of the affected users. The Hudson Rock report said that the hacker may have exploited an API vulnerability of the platform.

Twitter has also been downsizing operations in India, as it recently shut down two out of three offices in India, asking its staff to work from home.