Twitter Users Can Retweet, Like Posts With Substack Links Again

UPDATE 4/9: Substack says(Opens in a new window) the “suppression of Substack publications on Twitter appears to be over.” Indeed, it’s now possible to interact with tweets from Substack; likes, retweets, and replies.

However, when you search the word “Substack” on Twitter, it still produces tweets with the word “newsletter” rather than Substack.

(Credit: Twitter)

The official @substackinc account app also looks to be shadowbanned. It does not show up under the People tab if you search Substack; you must go directly to the profile page to see it.

(Credit: Twitter)

If you happen to find and click on a Substack link, Twitter no longer appears to be warning people that those links are unsafe(Opens in a new window), though. For now, Substack says reviving interactions and “is the right move for writers, who deserve the freedom to share their work.

In response to Elon Musk calling the upcoming Substack Notes feature a “Twitter clone,” Substack says Notes will “be a new kind of place within a subscription network, not a replacement for existing social networks.”

“We believe that Twitter and Substack can continue to coexist and complement each other.”

UPDATE 4/8: Elon Musk today tweeted that “Substack was trying to download a massive portion of the Twitter database to bootstrap their Twitter clone, so their IP address is obviously untrusted.” He didn’t, however, directly address why people can’t interact with tweets that include Substack links (or come from Substack itself), though his mention of Substack’s “Twitter clone” suggests it’s a retaliatory move.

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

In early February, Twitter said it would shut down free access to its API, which allows third-party developers and researchers to build apps and tools that connect with the platform. That started happening this week(Opens in a new window).

UPDATE: Apparently, Twitter is now preventing users from retweeting, replying to, or liking a tweet made on Substack’s own account. The tweet(Opens in a new window) below, for example, does not include a link to a Substack article.

The error that’ll occur if you try to retweet, like or reply to the tweet from Substack.
(Credit: Twitter/Michael Kan)

Original story:
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.    

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

“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.

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

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

In a statement, Substack’s founders said: “We’re disappointed that Twitter has chosen to restrict writers’ ability to share their work. Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else. This abrupt change is a reminder of why writers deserve a model that puts them in charge, that rewards great work with money, and that protects the free press and free speech. Their livelihoods should not be tied to platforms where they don’t own their relationship with their audience, and where the rules can change on a whim.”

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.