Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is now blocking links to “Signal.me,” a URL used by the Signal encrypted messaging to share your account info with another person.
According to BleepingComputer’s tests and other users’ reports, attempting to post Signal.me links via public posts, direct messages, or profile bios receive error messages citing spam or malware risks.
“This request looks like it might be automated. To protect our users from spam and other malicious activity, we can’t complete this action right now. Please try again later,” reads an error shown when sending Signal.me links.
As shown by our tests below, only messages that specifically contain the URL “signal.me” are being blocked.
Source: BleepingComputer
Journalist Matt Binder, who first reported on the issue, says it is unclear when this behavior started on the platform.
“It’s unclear when X blocked “Signal.me” links on the platform,” explains Binder in his writeup.
“However, it seems like a fairly recent change as users have previously been able to include “Signal.me” links in public posts and in their profile bio. Other Signal links, such as Signal.org, do not appear to be blocked.”
Other URLs associated with Signal, such as Signal.link and Signal.group links, do not appear to be affected by the block. Furthermore, other contact links for third-party messaging services like Telegram can be shared as usual on the X platform.
Meanwhile, Signal.me links that were already posted on X prior to the application of the blocks are still clickable. However, users will see a warning stating that the link may be unsafe when clicking the link.
Source: BleepingComputer
Reasons unknown
Signal.me links are unique URLs generated by the Signal messaging app that allow users to share their contact with others so they can easily contact them on Signal.
These links make it easier for people to connect without manually exchanging phone numbers, making it a private and safe way to initiate discussions.
Researcher Tommy Mysk, who was among the first to discover the issue this weekend, told BleepingComputer that the reason behind this action is unclear at this time.
“I discovered it by accident. I can’t speculate, but the behavior looks very similar to when they banned Mastodon links,” stated Mysk.
In 2023, after Elon Musk purchased Twitter, the social media platform began to block links to competing platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon. This was soon rolled back after protests from users.
More recently, Musk has faced criticism over how the US department he heads, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has gained access to the data of several US government agencies.
Signal, a popular end-to-end encryption communications app, is reportedly widely used by federal employees to report DOGE’s violations to journalists.
Hence, there’s speculation that the Signal.me link blocks on X are politically driven. However, X has not made any statements about the blocks or responded to requests for comment.
BleepingComputer has contacted Signal for a comment on the situation, and we will update this post as soon as we hear back.