http://osakabentures.com/2011/08/twitter-culpability-in-tos-violations/
Twitter’s Culpability in TOS Violations
Posted by OsakaSaul on August 16, 2011 in English | 3 Comments
Below is a thread of my question, “How can I speak with an actual human being about getting a Twitter account reinstated?” and the patent, plain-vanilla, stock answer from Laura i. Gómez, Manager, Localization at Twitter, and our little dialogue.
(My stance: Twitter calls foul, and a TOS (terms of service) violation, when we mass-unfollow those who do not follow us in Twitter – but we do this with a mere two clicks and in applications that Twitter authorizes)
As appeared in Quora:
I wrote:
I have replied to a suspension notice, replied for a ticket, and am left hanging. Rather than being left to deal with whatever data a Twitter Support staff person relies upon to make decisions with, I would like to speak with someone.
Laura replied:
Laura i. Gómez, Manager, Localization at Twitter
I work in the User Services (Support) team and you can send us a ticket by filling out one of our forms, we usually answer within 24 hours:
https://support.twitter.com/forms If you deleted your account, we can help you with it. If it was suspended, then our Trust and Safety team will evaluate and let you know the steps to getting it unsuspended. If you haven’t heard back from us, follow @Support and send a DM with your ticket number so we can look for your ticket.
I replied:
Yes, this is all info we receive in the email sent to those who suffer this arbitrary indignation. It would be delightful if Twitter recognized their own culpability and stopped penalizing people – who use an application like ManageFlitter, which makes it a mere two clicks to a violation of Twitter TOS.
I would love to know your rationale on this, Laura i. Gómez
Laura replied:
I am not very familiar with the ManageFlitter (there are over hundreds of thousands of apps out there) and what are these two clicks that led to your suspension. Our Director of Trust and Safety, Del Harvey is here on Quora. But I also recommend that you read our Following Rules: https://support.twitter.com/articles/68916-following-rules-and-best-practices
Laura i. Gómez
My reply:
We know your rules. Do you know how Twitter is quick to authorize apps that make it just two-clicks to a Twitter TOS violation for the app’s users?
This is what I take issue with.
ManageFlitter, Twunfollow, Twibs, and so on: like many apps that make it just a couple clicks to mass-unfollow and/or mass-follow, Twitter authorizes it. And then penalizes those who use it. I only ask that folks like Del Harvey acknowledge that Twitter shares culpability – and rather than arbitrarily suspending an account, talk to the user. Ask what’s going on. Give them a day or so to reply. And then do something like a one-week suspension, which seriously interferes with many peoples’ lives. That way I wont have to collect cases studies and blog on the draconian practices of Twitter Trust and Safety. I am thinking to title the article “Twitter’s Culpability in TOS Violations.”
Bonus points for good-will: have another look at @sparticusian (No need to write me on this, its not my account. He is a dear friend, who really needs that account back – and all its SEO, comments associated with it, etc.)
I appreciate your consideration.
(To which I got “dead air” – no further replies – which provided sufficient impetus for me to blog this little dialogue between Twitter Safety and I. )
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Saul Fleischman (edit profile)
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Mark Aaron Murnahan 3 days ago
Seriously? You are frustrated about a suspended account? I wouldn't advertise that, because even if there is not a great reason ... there is still a reason.
I look at this from a standpoint of a long-time service provider. I have killed hundreds of thousands of email accounts for abusing my company TOS over a period of far more than a decade.We service providers set rules based on known variables and based on user input. Those rules are not just arbitrary whims of power-seeking networks, but rather based on mathematical and psychographical data reflecting what people like and what people find offensive.A good rule-set will have a small margin of error, but even in those cases, there is always a reason for the trigger of a set rule. I have been in the field of providing services to millions of end-users over many years, and the number of which were undeservedly suspended or deleted represents a minuscule fraction.The rules are the rules, and although you may feel screwed to the wall and like somebody got it all wrong, they are usually not just in place to tease you or frustrate you. They are there to keep the majority happy. If you find yourself outside the majority as it is read by the algorithmic rule set, it is important to reflect on why ... and work to avoid doing it again.
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Dave Larson 2 days ago
ManageFlitter takes one click to check the box by EACH account you want to unfollow, and one click to implement unfollowing. It actually takes more clicks to unfollow people via ManageFlitter than by Twitter.
While Laura at Twitter is unfamiliar with the conversation ManageFlitter had with Twitter long ago, Twitter told them they had to remove the capability to select multiple users or their application would be blocked from accessing Twitter.
So if you are selecting multiple users with a single click, you are at minimum using a browser add-on to check multiple boxes for you, not a ManageFlitter feature. (Or an underpaid team of mouse-wielding primates checking boxes for you).
If you find an app that uses OAuth to connect to your Twitter account that has a built-in feature to select multiple users users to unfollow, I can virtually guarantee that the same week you find it it will be suspended by Twitter.
Saul Fleischman [Moderator] 7 hours ago in reply to Dave Larson
I used ManageFlitter @davidglarson @murnahan with no browser add-on and I entered ManageFlitter
via oAuth and selected 100 people per page – and did all this by following MangeFlitter’s
own instructions.
Whatever Laura (of Twitter, and who, in Quora took it upon herself to address my question as to Twitter's dismissal of their culpability in Twitter TOS disputes) may be familiar with or not, what I know
full well was that when I actually used ManageFlitter, I actually was
able to select 100 per go – with no browser add-on – and while Twitter
authorized the application, they found me in violation of their TOS for
following the instructions ManageFlitter provided.
Still don't see why I would cry foul?
