Shortly after Elon Musk spent $44 billion on Twitter, reports emerged of the platform blocking links to other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post, and Nostr.
At the time, Twitter created a policy that prohibited the "free promotion" of these platforms, resulting in blocked links and suspended accounts for policy violations. Third-party link aggregators like Linktree were also banned.
Now, it appears Twitter (now X) is at it again. A new report from Disruptionist's Matt Binder claims that X is now blocking links to Signal, an encrypted messaging service used by individuals and organizations to prioritize privacy and security in their communications. Binder states that Signal had been a crucial tool for federal workers "looking to blow the whistle" on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
According to him, you cannot post "Signal.me" links anywhere on the platform, especially in DMs, public posts, or even bios. If you're unfamiliar, "Signal.me" is the domain users share to allow others to reach out quickly. It typically looks like "https://signal.me/#eu/[some-really-long-string]." Here's a screenshot Binder provided showing what happens when you try to send a direct message on X containing a "Signal.me" link.
If you try to post a Signal.me link publicly, you’ll get the following error message: "We can’t complete this request because this link has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially harmful," and trying to update your bio with a "Signal.me" link will throw this error:
Neowin was able to confirm this. The only workaround at the moment is to encode the link in base64 or use a URL shortener, but it’s probably only a matter of time before X catches up and blocks that as well.
New "Signal.me" links are not the only ones affected. In fact, if you try to click on an existing "Signal.me" link on X, you'll see a warning like this, with the default action button returning you to the previous page when clicked.
"Signal.org" links are not blocked, just "Signal.me." It is unclear when X made this change, as there has been no public statement from the company, but the issue was first noticed on February 16 by Cybersecurity researchers at Mysk.
On a related note, a few weeks ago, DOGE gained access to the US Treasury's $6 trillion payment system, causing lawmakers to raise alarms regarding Musk’s access to the system and the potential national security risks involved.
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