Twitter Disables Retweets, Likes on Posts With Substack Links

Twitter is now blocking users from retweeting, replying and liking tweets that contain a link to news publishing platform Substack, which is preparing its own microblogging service.

Substack writers began reporting(Opens in a new window) the problem on Friday morning. If you try to retweet, reply or like a tweet that contains a link to a Substack, you’ll encounter an error that says: “Some actions on this Tweet have been disabled by Twitter.”

An error appears when you try to retweet or like a tweet with a link to a Substack article.
(Credit: Twitter)

The move comes a day after Substack writers noticed(Opens in a new window) they could no longer embed tweets in their Substack posts. As a result, many users suspect Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, is working to thwart a potential rival by cracking down on access to Substack, despite his stance on free speech.

On Wednesday, Substack announced(Opens in a new window) Notes, its own microblogging platform that looks similar to Twitter. The upcoming platform will allow Substack writers to post short-form content, interact with each other’s note, and build a user following.    

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“Imagine Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leaving a comment on Margaret Atwood’s note about trends in science fiction, or Alison Roman sharing a quote from an amazing recipe developed by a little-known food writer who then gets a flood of subscriptions,” Substack wrote, making it clear Notes could rival Twitter, which relies on tweets from celebrities and journalists to drive user activity. 

Substack’s Notes platform will be ad-free and funded through paid subscriptions.

Twitter has yet to comment on the apparent blocking; the company’s email system automatically responds to media inquiries with a poop emoji. But in the meantime, some users are criticizing Musk for suppressing free speech by blocking retweets and likes to Substack links.

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In December, Musk went after another competitor, Mastodon, by briefly suspending its account on Twitter, along with several journalists, for allegedly “doxxing” his location.   

Substack didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But on Thursday, the news publishing platform said(Opens in a new window): “We’re investigating reports that Twitter embeds and authentication no longer work on Substack. We are actively trying to resolve this and will share updates as additional information becomes available.”

The growth of Substack, meanwhile, prompted a number of social media companies to explore newsletter platforms in 2021. Twitter bought Revue, while Facebook launched Bulletin. Neither service panned out, however, and were shut down earlier this year. It’s unclear if Musk was aware of that before he floated the idea of Twitter possibly acquiring Substack—a Twitter musing that hasn’t actually gone anywhere.