Twitter cracks down on artificially inflating followers or engagement
Twitter cracks down – As part of the new Twitter Terms of Service Agreement some rules in the Engagement and Metrics category have some Twitter followers upset as some accounts are being suspended for encouraging follower trains where Twitter users gain thousands of followers by supporting each other with “lifts” which is basically adding account names (eg.@example) under a specific hashtag (eg.#followthesepeople) in order to encourage a train of followers.
The rules below spell out exactly what artificially inflating follower numbers entails and this also includes purchasing or selling followers as well as using third-party apps to add followers or tweet engagements.
Under Twitter’s Platform manipulation and Spam Policy rules for Engagement and Metrics it reads: You can’t artificially inflate your own or others’ followers or engagement.
Twitter cracks down on artificially inflating followers or engagement includes:
- selling/purchasing Tweet or account metric inflation – selling or purchasing followers or engagements (Retweets, Likes, mentions, Twitter Poll votes);
- apps – using or promoting third-party services or apps that claim to add followers or add engagements to Tweets;
- reciprocal inflation – trading or coordinating to exchange follows or Tweet engagements (including but not limited to participation in “follow trains,” “decks,” and “Retweet for Retweet” behavior); and
- account transfers or sales – selling, purchasing, trading, or offering the sale, purchase, or trade of Twitter accounts, usernames, or temporary access to Twitter accounts.
Under the new Twitter rules, failure to comply with the Terms of Service Agreement (TSA) may result in the suspension or closure of accounts.
Find complete details on the new Twitter terms of service here.
Twitter is continuing the process of cracking down on fake followers which began in July of 2018 when they warned users that their follower counts might drop as a result. The changes came because Twitter was criticised for allowing people to artificially bolster their follower counts through the purchasing of followers that are often fake accounts. A New York Times investigation revealed that many celebrities, politicians and other public figures have engaged in this practice.
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