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Twitter’s decision to shut off its free API caused more than a few problems for public institutions that depend on the functionality, and the company is clearly ready to backtrack. The social network has restored free access to the app programming framework for verified government and publicly-owned services that use the tool for “critical purposes” such as emergency notifications, transportation updates and weather alerts.
The social media giant outlined a three-tier pricing strategy for its API in March. Normally, free access is limited to bots and testers that only need to write posts. It allows just 1,500 tweets per month and one app ID, which can be limiting for creators that need frequent updates. Basic access costs $100 per month with fixed caps on tweets, while businesses have to use multiple enterprise-level tiers to meet their needs. These can cost tens of thousands of dollars per month.
One of the most important use cases for the Twitter API has always been public utility. Verified gov or publicly owned services who tweet weather alerts, transport updates and emergency notifications may use the API, for these critical purposes, for free.
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) May 2, 2023
The shutoff broke numerous apps and services that relied on the free API for sharing and content streams, such as Flipboard’s reader. It also created issues for developers willing to pay for access, including Echobox. While Twitter had warned that a cutoff was coming at some point, it didn’t notify customers of the exact timing and did little to explain the impact.
Government services faced extra pain. New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would stop posting service alerts on Twitter after it faced a $50,000 per month fee for access. Microsoft also pulled Twitter from its social media tool for advertisers, and disabled Twitter screenshot sharing for Windows and Xbox gamers.
Twitter under Elon Musk’s leadership has clamped down on previously free functionality in a bid to both control more of the experience and shift more of its revenue to subscriptions. It banned third-party clients, for example, and required a Blue membership for some verified checkmarks. This latest move is an acknowledgment that the strategy creates problems, particularly for governments eager to provide vital information through as many channels as possible.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-restores-free-api-access-for-emergency-weather-and-transportation-alerts-204519574.html?src=rss
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it will no longer post service alerts and information on Twitter, citing doubts about the platform’s reliability. It’s directing riders to its website, apps, and email or mobile alerts instead.
“We’ve loved getting to know you On Here, but we don’t love not knowing if we can to communicate with you each day,” the MTA account tweeted in a thread on Thursday evening. “For the MTA, Twitter is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect. So as of today, we’re saying goodbye to it for service alerts and information.”
The MTA provides service info in real time, 24/7.
We do this through https://t.co/8rwbuwle0p, our apps, email & text alerts, and, until recently,…
BRITS have been hit with snow travel chaos as yet another cold snap sweeps across the UK.
Forecasters have placed much of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland under a snow and ice yellow weather warning for the next three days.
Wintery snowy scenes in the North Yorkshire village of Goathland[/caption]
Snow falls in Tynemouth in the North East[/caption]
Snow on the Tommy statue on North Shields Fish Quay[/caption]
Wednesday’s alert covers most of southern England, including London and much of the North.
Meanwhile, Scotland could even see up to seven inches of snow in northern areas.
And another white stuff warning covers the entirety of Northern Ireland.
The Met Office warns: “Ice and some snow leading to difficult travel conditions in places.
“Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.
“Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.”
They say there is also a chance that rural communities could be cut off for several days.
And people should be prepared for long interruptions to power supplies, gas, water, telephone and mobile phone coverage.
The UK will be covered in warnings until Friday – and Brits up and down the country on Tuesday woke up to the first bout of snow.
The mercury is set to plunge minus 15C in some isolated Scottish glens this week.
People in southern England and South Wales can expect to wake up to snow on Wednesday but it is unclear whether it will settle, the Met Office said.
Snow is more likely to settle when it moves across much of northern England, Northern Ireland and much of Scotland on Thursday.
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said snow should fall where cold Arctic air moving south towards the UK meets warmer air moving up from the South West.
He added: “As we move into the weekend as that low pressure has moved out from the East, there is a further band of rain likely to move from the South West, which could knock against cooler air and create sleet showers.
“Next week there will be a gradual warming back to something a little bit more typical for the time of year.”
Thursday’s weather warning covers much of the country[/caption]
Heavy snow in Aberdeen has left cars stuck[/caption]
Cars driving through snowfall in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire[/caption]
According to Australia’s ABC News, a four-wheel drive truck towing a horse float collided with a tree stump in Tasmania at 1:45 a.m. on Monday. Crash Detection alerted nearby police, who were able to get to the scene within eight minutes, even though the passengers were unconscious.
Five people ranging in age from 14 to 20 were taken to the hospital, and one person with serious injuries was transported to Melbourne by air ambulance. In accidents with life-threatening injuries, immediate help can make a major difference. “In a case where people had lost consciousness in a crash like this, it is certainly something that alerts police quickly,” said Tasmania Police Inspector Ruth Orr. Officers had also already been in the area, which helped with the response time.
Apple’s iPhone 14 models have only been out for four months, but the Crash Detection feature has already helped multiple accident victims, as has the Emergency SOS via Satellite function that can contact police in emergency situations where WiFi and cellular service are unavailable.
Unfortunately, Crash Detection can also trigger false positives, which can be frustrating for emergency responders around amusement parks and ski resorts. In November, Summit County dispatchers in Utah said they had seen a major uptick in accidental 911 calls, and just this week, a report from The Japan News said that the Kita-Alps Nagano Fire Department had received a total of 134 false calls primarily triggered by Crash Detection, with those calls occurring between December 16 and January 23.
Japanese firefighters do not recommend turning off Crash Detection, despite the inconvenience. “It’s an effective function in the event of a really serious accident, so we can’t ask users to turn it off,” they said.
Apple has already adjusted Crash Detection, optimizing it with the iOS 16.1.2 update to cut down on false positives, but reports in December suggested that 911 dispatchers were still getting a number of accidental calls. Utah Summit County Sheriff Jamie FitzSimons said in December that Apple is aware of the problem, and that more refinement is needed. “We are communicating with Apple to get them to pay more attention to this, but it feels like we are trying to turn a battleship in a bathtub,” said FitzSimons.
This article, “iPhone 14 Crash Detection Alerts Police Minutes After Early Morning Tasmania Accident” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Despite Apple’s best efforts to ensure that its new Crash Detection feature is only triggered when there’s real trouble, winter recreation is proving to be a perfect storm for false alarms.
Minnesota Public Radio (as spotted by 9to5Mac) reports that false alarms from the new feature are a growing problem for emergency responders, particularly as people engage in winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. They provide a unique set of factors — fast starts, stops, and jolts that can fool iPhones and Apple Watches into thinking there’s been an accident, while winter weather gear makes it hard to know that your watch or phone is sounding an alert. It’s a tricky problem without an obvious, immediate solution.
Apple i…