Security News > 2023 > February > Twitter will start charging users for SMS-based 2FA option
Twitter has announced that starting with March 20, users who don't pay the Twitter Blue subscription will no longer be able to use the SMS-based two-factor authentication option.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk further explained the rationale behind the move by claiming that "Twitter is getting scammed by phone companies for $60M/year of fake 2FA SMS messages."
According to the last known 2FA usage numbers, the SMS-based 2FA option is the most widely used by far, because less tech-savvy users find it to be the easiest to understand and set up.
It now remains to be seen if this latest move by Twitter will push those users towards a better 2FA option, a worse security decision, or towards getting the Twitter Blue subscription, which is $8 per month.
"Disabling text message 2FA does not automatically disassociate your phone number from your Twitter account. If you would like to do so, instructions to update your account phone number are available on our Help Center," Twitter explained.
Given the Twitter's many operational glitches since Musk's acquisition and gutting of various Twitter teams, I would also urge users to switch the option off or switch to another 2FA option sooner rather than later, because they just might end up getting locked out of their account due to unintended and unforeseen malfunctions.