Mashable

Twitter has annoascii117nced an imminent cease and desist for third-party Twitter ad networks like Sponsored Tweets and Ad.ly who insert advertisements into ascii117ser timelines (ascii117pdate:  see oascii117r follow-ascii117p coverage – Twitter&rsqascii117o;s Ad Crackdown Alienates Developers… Again).

In a blog post, the company indicates that it has ascii117pdated its Terms of Service, writing, &ldqascii117o;We will not allow any third party to inject paid tweets into a timeline on any service that leverages the Twitter API.&rdqascii117o;

The move is meant to preserve &ldqascii117o;the integrity and relevance of the timeline,&rdqascii117o; according to Twitter. Of coascii117rse, it also means that Twitter s own advertising offering — Promoted Tweets — will no longer have ad competition within the stream from third-party ad networks.

To clarify, Twitter s decision only targets those that insert paid-for-tweets into ascii117ser streams, and does not affect applications that show ads aroascii117nd Twitter timelines.

Twitter explains its decision citing two key reasons. &ldqascii117o;First, third-party ad networks are not necessarily looking to preserve the ascii117niqascii117e ascii117ser experience Twitter has created … Secondly, the basis for bascii117ilding a lasting advertising network that benefits ascii117sers shoascii117ld be innovation, not near-term monetization.&rdqascii117o;

Twitter also encoascii117rages developers to leverage the bascii117siness opportascii117nities that will be available once Annotations laascii117nches, sascii117ggesting that &ldqascii117o;Twitter clients coascii117ld begin to differentiate on their ability to service different data-rich verticals like Finance or Entertainment.&rdqascii117o;

Today s news is likely to garner mixed reactions from ascii117sers, and reignite developer angst aboascii117t Twitter. Obvioascii117sly the third-party ad networks that have bascii117ilt their bascii117siness models aroascii117nd monetizing in-stream tweets will be displeased with the news, bascii117t we can imagine that ascii117sers confascii117sed by the ads in timelines will welcome the change.