Elon Musk's X starts suspending people using third-party apps like OldTweetDeck

Elon Musk’s X seems to be doing a crackdown on users who choose to use the third-party extension OldTweetDeck, but also OldTwitter. Suspicions have been raised following the suspension of a large number of accounts on X after being flagged for using OldTweetDeck, a free, unofficial alternative to the premium TweetDeck. The accounts were suspended on the grounds that they violated X’s policies against inauthentic behaviors,

For those that don’t remember, TweetDeck transitioned to a paid subscription model as part of X Premium in mid-2023. OldTweetDeck is a Chrome and Firefox extension developed by dimdenGD on X, a lone developer from Ukraine, to replicate the original and free interaction and functionality.

As can be seen above, the developer took to X to suggest that people "turn off oldtwitter and oldtweetdeck" to possibly avoid the ban. Since around three hours ago, there have been multiple reports on the OldTweetDeck Github with people complaining that their account(s) have been banned.

According to Twisted Voxel, the ban waves seems to be algorithmic and automated, likely triggered by X’s systems detecting irregular API activity associated with the extension. Suspensions have been indiscriminate, affecting accounts of all ages and follower count. A natural reaction to getting suspended might be to create a new account, however, this can lead to more enforcement from X.

If you get suspended, your best course of action is to appeal the suspension through X’s support channels and to stop using third-party extensions that replicate premium features. X has not yet issued an official statement regarding the suspensions or said if users can expect to be reinstated if they appeal.

If you have had your account suspended and are worried about the consequences, rest assured that you have not broken the law, however, you have broken the X terms of service, so now your account has been suspended, but could be reinstated if you appeal.

If you fail to get reinstated, you could still try making a new account and see how far you get. Alternatively, you could try out Bluesky, which feels a lot like Twitter used to feel back in the day, with some of its own unique features.