Image source, Getty Images

By Tom Gerken

Technology reporter

Twitter has blocked its users from sharing some links to its social media rival Mastodon.

Mastodon is divided into groups, called servers, based on many topics including the UK, snooker, and security.

Twitter has blocked links to some of the largest servers which users would join, including the most popular "social" channel.

And Twitter is also stopping users from adding links to their Mastodon account in their bios - calling them "malware".

There is absolutely no evidence to support the suggestion that Mastodon contains malware - malicious software that can harm your device.

Mastodon said it gained hundreds of thousands of users in November, with some Twitter users seeking alternative platforms.

Image caption,

The same result occurs if the link is posted in the location or website field

The BBC has been unable to post links to the most popular mastodon.social server, as well as more than 10 others - including a server for journalists and another for people in the UK.