Twitter stated on Friday it should enable solely paid subscribers to make use of textual content messages as a two-factor authentication (2FA) methodology to safe their accounts.

After March 20, “solely Twitter Blue subscribers will have the ability to use textual content messages as their two-factor authentication methodology,” the corporate tweeted.

Two-factor authentication, meant to make accounts safer, requires an account holder to make use of a second authentication methodology along with a password. Twitter permits 2FA by textual content message, authentication app and a safety key.

The corporate believes phone-number-based 2FA is being abused by “unhealthy actors,” in keeping with a Wednesday weblog put up that the corporate’s tweet linked to.

Twitter proprietor Elon Musk tweeted “Yup” in reply to a person tweet that the corporate was altering coverage “as a result of Telcos Used Bot Accounts to Pump 2FA SMS,” and that the corporate was dropping $60 million a yr “on rip-off SMS.”

The blue verify mark, beforehand free for verified accounts of politicians, well-known personalities, journalists and different public figures, is now open to anybody ready to pay.

Final month, Twitter stated it might value Twitter Blue subscription for Android at $11 monthly, the identical as for iOS subscribers.