You may have heard that your favourite Twitter influencers are at the risk of losing their accounts under a new policy. But you don’t know all the details? Don’t worry, we give you a summary of all the important information here.
In truth, Twitter did not set out targetting these sets of users, influencers, specifically. But, they are indeed in the crosshairs of the new “platform manipulation and spam policy”. The opening statement of the policy provides an overview of what the policy wants to achieve.
It says that users may not use Twitter in a way that “artificially amplify” information or manipulate people’s experience on the platform. This is to allow people to enjoy using the service. Which is directly in conflict with what these influencers do.
Also, the new policy prohibits behaviours like; commercially motivated spam, inauthentic engagements and coordinated activity. Stating that they drive traffic to accounts or products as well as make content appear more popular than they are.
In violation of this policy is the act of creating multiple accounts to create fake engagements and selling or buying followers or engagements. It also bans the selling of accounts.
If you regularly engage in such things as “follow trains”, “decks” and “Retweet for Retweet”, you could be violating this new rule. Surprisingly, it also mentions using popular hashtags or trends to “manipulate conversation”. As well as the indiscriminate “following and/or unfollowing” of many unrelated accounts are banned.
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However, users can use Twitter accounts as parodies, commentary or fan accounts. Also, people can operate several accounts if they have distinct identities and serve different purposes.
When users fall short of these new rules, their accounts may be locked. Thus, they will need to provide information like a phone number or be required to solve a reCAPTCHA.
First-time offences or isolated incidents may lead to deleting the offending post on request. Fake accounts may require a government valid identification as well.
Permanent suspension may be effected if accounts are majorly in violation of the policies. Also, if the account is used to control election results or created to replace a suspended account, it may also suffer permanently suspension.
This is why it looks like influencers in Twitter Nigeria are the main targets of the new policy. simply because many of their activities violate the new policy effective 1st January 2020.
All users can also report suspicious accounts. And it looks like many are already doing so as some Twitter users have allegedly lost their accounts already.
Is this the end of this manipulative form of using Twitter? Like all issues, it has divided users with some supporting the new Twitter policy while others are criticising it and supporting influencers. Read the full article about the policy here.
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