American social media company based in San Francisco, California Twitter, has revealed that it is removing text-message two-factor authentication (2FA) for non-subscribers.
2FA lets users to add an extra layer of security to their online accounts, beyond passwords, by double-checking the identity of the person logging in.
Methods that are common includes texting users a code or using an authenticator app.
The Twitter Support account on Saturday, tweeted only Twitter Blue subscribers would be able to use text-message authentication from 20 March.
While this is being considered as a new development, some text-message 2FA users also received an in-app alert telling them to remove the method before the deadline to avoid losing access to their account.
Twitter owner and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted its authenticator app, which would remain free, was more secure.
However, the business magnate and investor told a critic of the development that Twitter had been “scammed” by phone companies and was paying more than $60m (£49m) a year for “fake 2FA SMS messages.”
Below is a tweet from Elon Musk.
