Tech

Musk fumes as Microsoft drops Twitter from advert platform

Microsoft has declared that microblogging site, Twitter, will be dropped from its advertisement platform, Smart Campaigns.

Microsoft made this known via a statement shared on its website.

The tech company noted that the advertisement platform which enables ad buyers to manage their various social media accounts will no longer support Twitter as of April 25, 2023.

It noted that other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn will continue to be available on the advert service.

It stated: “Starting on April 25, 2023, Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform will no longer support Twitter.

“As of April 25, 2023, you’ll be unable to: access your Twitter account through our social management tool, create and manage drafts or tweets, view past tweets and engagement, and schedule tweets.”

Reacting, Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, said the company will take legal action against the development, noting that Microsoft illegally used Twitter’s data for training.

“They trained illegally, using Twitter’s data. Lawsuit time,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

In a separate tweet, in the discussion about the social media platform’s data, Musk said he was “open to ideas”.

“But ripping off the Twitter database, demonetizing it (removing ads) and then selling our data to others isn’t a winning solution,” he added.

Twitter, in February 2023, started charging for the data it collects from scores of users, with a basic plan starting at $100 a month.

According to the platform, the data allows users to “manage and track every aspect of your social media presence”.

Since buying Twitter for $44 billion (£35.4 billion) in October 2022, Musk has cut its workforce by around 80 per cent and moved to boost the company’s finances through measures, including charging users for “blue tick” verification.

In recent months, major companies including iPhone maker Apple reportedly halted advertising on the platform over concerns about how content was moderated on the site.

In November, Musk said Twitter had seen a “massive” drop in revenue and blamed activists for pressuring advertisers.

Speaking to BBC last week, he said Twitter had just months left to live when he took over.

He also said “almost all advertisers have come back or said they are going to come back” to Twitter.

Musk added that Twitter could be profitable by the second quarter of 2023, adding that he would be willing to sell the company if the right person came along.

The Star