Analytics firm to shut down over Twitter data sharing changes

San Francisco: Favstar -- a start-up which has been analysing and curating tweets based on their popularity -- has announced that it will shut down its operations on June 19, citing Twitter's decision to change the way it shares data with third-party companies.

Favstar started in May 2009. At its peak, it was serving over 50 million visits a month.

"During December 2017, Twitter stated that on June 19 2018, they will be shutting down the method that Favstar and other third-party Twitter apps use to receive your Tweets, Likes and Retweets," Favstar CEO Tim Haines wrote in a post on Monday.

"Twitter wrote that they'll be replacing this with another method of data access, but have not been forthcoming with the details or pricing. Favstar can't continue to operate in this environment of uncertainty," he added.

Favstar was a huge hit with people new to Twitter, up-and-coming comedians, tech folk, reporters, celebrities, and people looking for a quick route to the best tweets.

"Favstar will go offline on June 19 2018. Favstar Pro is no longer for sale. Anyone who has a Favstar Pro Membership beyond June 19th will receive a refund," Haines said.