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We subsequently informed these services of their noncompliance and suspended their access to our APIs.
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Recently, we identified several services that used the feature we built to allow for the deletion of tweets to instead archive and highlight them. We built into our Developer Policy provisions a requirement that those accessing our APIs delete content that Twitter reports as deleted or expired.įrom time to time, we come upon apps or solutions that violate that policy. “The ability to delete one’s Tweets – for whatever reason – has been a long-standing feature of Twitter for all users. Last year, it also launched Diplotwoops, covering diplomats and ambassadors, and this has now been closed off too.Ī Twitter spokesperson provided VentureBeat with this comment: Politwoops came to fruition following a hackathon in the Netherlands way back in 2010, and subsequently launched in more than 30 countries, automatically tracking the Twitter accounts of elected politicians. However, OSF said it will “continue to explore and engage with others to keep public messages by elected politicians visible.” This means that many potentially controversial nuggets will slip away into the foggy ruins of time. While this doesn’t necessarily prevent all deleted tweets from being preserved (we’re counting on you, screenshots), it does make it much harder to automate. Faced with mounting pressure to grow, Twitter needs all the public-facing friends it can find. It’s safe to say that Twitter is at least partly motivated here by a desire to keep politicians using the platform - if they fear a tweet they delete will automatically be saved and scrutinized, they will be less likely to use the platform. In other words, this latest move isn’t just about protecting politicians’ rights to delete a controversial comment, it also undermines the ability to hold politicians accountable if their messages or “public position” changes over time.
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This is not about typos, but it is a unique insight on how messages from elected politicians can change without notice.” What politicians say in public should be available to anyone. These tweets were once posted and later deleted. “Even when tweets are deleted, it’s part of parliamentary history. “What elected politicians publicly say is a matter of public record,” said Arjan El Fassed, director of the Open State Foundation. But generally, anyone passing comment through these channels have little recourse to backtrack.
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Indeed, Twitter has often sought to align itself with the media fraternity, be it newspapers, TV companies, or other broadcasters. That’s all very well and good, but many would argue that this lets politicians erase anything bad they’ve said from a public record, a privilege generally not afforded in other mediums. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice.” “No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. “Imagine how nerve-racking - terrifying, even - tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable?,” the Twitter statement reads. Twitter argues, according to OSF, that politicians are no different from any other user - people have the right to delete retweets or personal comments from the social network.
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