DES MOINES, Iowa — Among the many changes made to Twitter by Elon Musk is a policy that has some Iowa agencies concerned.
Musk tweeted Saturday that verified accounts are now limited to seeing 6,000 Tweets a day, while unverified accounts are limited to 600 Tweets a day.
Accounts that are new and unverified can only see 300 Tweets a day.
Local agencies in Iowa, like Madison County Emergency Management, use Twitter for severe weather and general safety alerts.
Director Diogenes Ayala, who manages the organization's Twitter account, said these new policies can have dangerous outcomes.
"As we put posts out randomly throughout the day, we don’t have a set time ... storm incidents are 24 hours," Ayala said. "So, it's really bad because if you have hit your limit already and we put a post out there, you’re not gonna see it.”
The view limits could also impact National Weather Service accounts, who use automated tweets to warn followers of impending weather events. With view limits, the agency worries that some important posts may not be seen.
In a statement to Local 5, the National Weather Service of Des Moines offered a reminder to the public: people should “have multiple ways of receiving weather information,” adding that social media "is considered to be supplemental to official sources of weather forecasts."
As Ayala adapts to the new limits on Twitter views, he’s still planning on using the platform to alert the public when needed. After all, it’s done a lot of good for the community thus far.
"Hopefully they change this policy… Twitter has been really good to use, not just for emergency management, for law enforcement, for all types of public safety agencies," Ayala said. "It’s the best way to get the message out there.”