Twitter Continued Its Suspension Streak by Shutting Down Verified Accounts

Twitter has been suspending accounts that are known for stealing tweets and/or tweetdecking, a method where accounts mass-retweet tweets so they go artificially viral.

On March 9, Twitter suspended a handful of accounts in what Buzzfeed has dubbed a “Tweetdeckoning.” Many of these accounts—such as @Dory, @GirlPosts, @SoDamnTrue, Girl Code/@reiatabie, Common White Girl/@commonwhitegiri, @teenagernotes, etc—were wildly popular and had followers that numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and sometimes even millions.

While Twitter ousted the followers mentioned above, a lot of other tweet stealers and tweetdeckers remained, many of whom were verified.

Accounts like @FreddyAmazin, @Noahasf, @Cameron, @thebaemarcus, and @abdinoorx2, which are known for plagiarizing tweets, survived the initial purge. The accounts were suspended Friday, leaving many to wonder if the accounts held on for another week because they were verified. According to Buzzfeed, the account @FreddyAmazin had five million followers.

“Keeping Twitter safe and free from spam is a top priority for us,” a Twitter spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “We have policies in place that prohibit behavior such as selling or trading engagements, or engaging in spammy behavior.”

In response to whether or not the verified accounts weren’t suspended because of their status, the spokesperson said that Twitter staff “take time to ensure we get it right.”

The spokesperson continued, “These rules apply to everyone using our service, including Verified accounts, and we take action on any accounts that violate our policies. We recognize how important it is to enforce these rules fairly and carefully, and take time to ensure we get it right before taking action.”

The accounts may have become verified years ago, when users were permitted to apply for the blue check. Still, it isn't known how they reached the verification status.