Conservatives Complain Of Targeting After Twitter Starts Deleting Accounts
By Bill Galluccio
February 21, 2018
Many Twitter users noticed a significant drop-off on their follower count Wednesday morning, and some conservatives are crying foul. According to The Hill, Twitter started to suspend thousands of accounts in a likely attempt to remove fake accounts and bots from the platform.
Many verified users posted about the sudden loss of followers.
I don’t live or die by my twitter follower numbers but I did loose 300 of them last night... let’s hope they were only #Bots... #twitterlockout We shall see shortly...
— Scottie Nell Hughes (@scottienhughes) February 21, 2018
#TwitterLockOut I lost 2K followers last night- 1st and 2nd amendment in jeopardy! Follow @GrrrGraphics and let's stay connected also @grrrgraphics on @getongab and #Steemit.com https://t.co/Oj98iIxEAZ pic.twitter.com/Ya7oOA9ZJ3
— BenGarrison Cartoons (@GrrrGraphics) February 21, 2018
The twitter purge is real. You may have to refollow me after last night if you’re interested in my content. Twitter blocked me from twitter ads last night and purged thousands of followers. Spread the word. #TwitterLockOut @TwitterSupport @jack @twitter
— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) February 21, 2018
Even people who are not verified noticed the issue, and the hashtag #twitterlockout became a trending topic on Wednesday morning.
I’m back over 37K. As people wake up and log back in to prove they aren’t bots, your numbers should increase. PS: Amazing how it seems only conservative accounts were targeted 🤔 #TwitterLockOut
— PolitiDiva™ (@realPolitiDiva) February 21, 2018
Twitter is currently purging the followers on conservative accounts only. I just lost 3000 followers in one minute. Check out the trending hashtag to confirm that it is ONLY conservative accounts that are being affected.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) February 21, 2018
Holding for an explanation...#twitterlockout
Charles V Payne called on the social media company to be transparent about the "criteria for erasing followers while folks sleep."
Hello @jack a lot of people are asking about #TwitterLockOut could the company please provide the criteria for erasing followers while folks sleep. I know there is a lot of pressure to be more responsible in curbing certain actions but that shouldn't extend to muting opinions
— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) February 21, 2018
Some people suggested the purge only targetted accounts that were suspected of being Russian bots.
#MAGA, come on.
— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) February 21, 2018
*People* aren't being purged.
BOTS are being purged.
If your friend's account says "temporarily restricted", that just means they have to log in to prove they are a real person.
And it isn't just happening to conservatives. 🙄🙄🙄#TwitterLockOut#WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/ZTy1ysEvkN
While the purge is not likely targetting specific accounts based on the political views they express, many of the people complaining about the issue appear to conservatives.
Twitter responded the overnight purge in a statement to CBS News.
"As part of our ongoing work in safety, we identify suspicious account behaviors that indicate automated activity or violations of our policies around having multiple accounts, or abuse," Twitter's statement said. "We also take action on any accounts we find that violate our terms of service, including asking account owners to confirm a phone number so we can confirm a human is behind it. That's why some people may be experiencing suspensions or locks."
"Note that when an account is locked and being challenged to provide a phone number, it is removed from follower counts until it provides a phone number," the statement said. "This is part of our ongoing, comprehensive efforts to make Twitter safer and healthier for everyone."
Photo: Getty Images