With growing reports of SIM swap hacks, about time Twitter is making a move to improve security in our accounts. A new feature has been put in place, where users will be required to pay for the privilege of using Twitter’s SMS two-factor authentication. That’s right, users must start paying to access the service or else Twitter will shut off their 2FA after the 20th of March.
Having a secure two-factor authentication system is important. Recently, even the company’s own CEO Jack Dorsey had been targeted in a SIM swap attack. This is why Twitter is making it mandatory for users to pay for the service or switch to an authenticator app or a physical security key. It’s understandable why they are doing it, as they might be facing a tough financial situation.
The Twitter Blue option is available for both Android and iOS users and is available at a monthly fee of $8 (Android) and $11 (iOS). It’s a great option since things like bookmarking posts, undoing sent tweets, or creating custom color schemes will be available for use.
The transparency report conducted found that in December 2021, only 2.6 percent of users had 2FA turned on and 74 percent of those users were using SMS as their two-factor authentication. With such a low number, it would make sense why Twitter will be enforcing this new policy.
If the users do not opt to pay up, they will risk having their accounts hacked by third-party incidents. It’s important to keep our accounts safe and secure, and if you can afford it, the fee should definitely be considered. We can also opt to use an authenticator app or a physical security key.
What do you think about Twitter’s new policy? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
