Twitter removes client sourcing for tweets on the web

August 27, 2012

It might be polite to include a “via” or “h/t” in your tweets that contain information gleaned from other users, but don’t think Twitter will provide that same courtesy to tweets that are delivered by its third-party developers.

Twitter has now removed sourcing on individual tweets accessed on the web that used to indicate which clients or apps were used to publish the tweet, such as Twitter for iPhone, the web, or Tweetbot for iOS. A Twitter spokesperson said the change, which had already been implemented on mobile, is to “simplify” the information being presented, but it comes as Twitter cracks down on external use of its API by third-party developers.

“This is new on web and was already the case on mobile,” said Carolyn Penner, a spokeswoman for Twitter. “This is part of our ongoing work to simplify tweets and emphasize the content being shared.”

This summer, a firestorm between Twitter and developers erupted as Twitter worked to limit the influence of third-party developers using its API and monetize its product. Right now even the smallest of changes, such as the removal of tweet sourcing, is seen by many developers as evidence of Twitter’s increasing control over the product.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr user Rosaura Ochoa

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