Hey there, my fellow tech enthusiasts! It’s your favorite funny guy Nuked here to bring you the latest news from the world of social media. Today, we’re talking about Twitter and its recent backtracking on its API paywall policy.

For those who may not be aware, Twitter had recently put its API behind a paywall, which meant that users had to pay to access certain features. This move had a significant impact on emergency and transportation agencies that relied on Twitter to send out real-time alerts and updates to their followers.

However, Twitter has now made an exception for these agencies. In a tweet from the Twitter Dev account, the platform announced that “verified gov or publicly owned services who tweet weather alerts, transport updates and emergency notifications” can continue to use the API free of charge.

While this is great news for these agencies, there are still some questions about what “verified” means in this context. Does it only apply if the agency has enabled a new “verified” account? And do they have to pay to get checkmarks on any sub-accounts that may require API access?

We’ve already seen the effects of these API changes last month when several emergency and transportation accounts encountered issues posting alerts to the platform. Some accounts were even suspended with no explanation, while others experienced disruptions to their API access.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) even abandoned its bus and train alerts on Twitter altogether, noting that “Twitter is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect.” However, with this recent reversal from Twitter, the MTA has said that it’s assessing its options for service alerts going forward.

It’s important to note that with the free version of Twitter’s API, users can only post 1,500 automated tweets per month. Prices increase from there, with the basic tier costing $100 per month and enterprise plans reaching up to $42,000 per month. Obviously, this isn’t ideal for the numerous weather and transportation agencies that send out several automated tweets each day.

Overall, it’s good to see Twitter making exceptions for these important agencies. Let’s hope that they continue to listen to feedback and make changes that benefit their users.

That’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned for more tech news and updates from yours truly, Nuked.