Every day when users open their Twitter accounts they are subjected to spam and harassment. In recent months, while under increasing scrutiny, the platform has ramped up efforts to fight against spam and other unhealthy behaviors that jeopardize the user experience. Although it has cost them a loss to the tune of three million active monthly users, Twitter’s showing no signs of slowing down.
The implications are vast and varied for brands using the network. In July, Twitter removed tens of millions of accounts from the platform that were previously inactive, locked due to suspicious activity or repeat violators of their terms of service. While the initial drop in followers may have been a shock, some are viewing the move as a boost to the credibility of the platform. No longer can an account rely on bots and spam accounts to inflate their follower count.
Bot accounts aren’t the only ones at risk. Attempting to curb attention from the congressional investigation into Russia’s attack on the 2016 U.S. elections, Twitter has suspended 70 million accounts tweeting politically divisive content. Those accounts, often pretending to tweet from a country in which they aren’t located, are given a chance to challenge their suspension by way of phone verification. While your brand account may not be fake, don’t fall victim to being misleading. As a best practice – especially if you’re tipping your toes into partisan issues – verify your phone number before the Twitter prompt.
To crackdown on harassing and threatening behavior, the platform has begun to aggressively enforce their User Agreement. Although there’s debate about whether they’re doing a good job of that or not (we don’t think so), it’s undeniable that strides are being made.
In the past, it was commonplace for live video streamers to overlook annoying and vulgar commentary during a broadcast but a new policy for Twitter’s live video platform, Periscope, suspends accounts that make abusive or offensive comments in the chat section.
Researchers from the universities of Oxford, Leiden and Amsterdam have also teamed up with Twitter to help the network determine, algorithmically, which potentially contentious conversations hold meaningful, complex reasoning vs. those showcasing incivility and intolerance.
Concerned about the content you’re tweeting? Deph Digital can ensure that your Twitter account complies with the latest policies, rules and regulations.
