Twitter has announced that it will prohibit what it called the “free promotion” of other social media platforms, saying it will no longer allow users to post usernames and links to their accounts on major social media websites, including Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon.

The move on Sunday sparked instant criticism from many users. It was the latest controversial policy change under the ownership of billionaire Elon Musk, who took over the social media giant in a $44bn deal earlier this year.

“We know that many of our users may be active on other social media platforms; however, going forward, Twitter will no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms on Twitter,” the company said in a statement.

It added that it will remove content linking to accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr. Some of these websites have been touted as potential replacements for Twitter.

LinkedIn, the professional networking platform, and TikTok, the short video platform owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd, were not included on the list.

“Accounts that are used for the main purpose of promoting content on another social platform may be suspended,” Twitter added on Sunday. But “cross-posting” to content from other social media websites remains permissible.