Twitter Bans Popular Mobile Apps for Violating Policies
Twitter Bans Popular Mobile Apps for Violating Policies
Posted 02/18/2011 at 3:05pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Many users today are having issues logging into their Twitter accounts from mobile apps UberTwitter, Echofon, and Twitdroyd. According to Twitter itself, there's a really good reason for that. They've suspended the apps from the service for violation of Twitter's policies. The remedy? Twitter says you should use the official apps.
Twitter's official statement on the issue says the apps were kicked for a privacy issue involving Direct Messages over 140 characters, trademark violation, and for altering user tweets to make money. On the issue of trademark violation, apparently Twitter doesn't like the use of the term TweetUp by UberMedia (developer of UberTwitter and Twitdroyd). The full extent of issues in Echofon are not yet clear.
If you take Twitter's word for it, they've been telling the developers about these issues for months, and this is their last recourse. If so, the devs are to blame for not fixing the issues and leaving their paying users out in the cold. Since this is being called a suspension, not an outright ban, we assume these apps can find their way back to Twitter's good graces. In the meantime, it's an opportunity for competing apps to gain users.
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cpuking2010
February 19, 2011 at 8:59am
Twitter is not doing thing wrong here, it's there name and their FREE service they don't want being blurred. Devs fault.
Daemon
February 19, 2011 at 12:00am
Twitter, if it continues down this path of app controls as Sony and Apple has been doing, is going quickly to find themselves being abandoned for another medium with greater flexiblity. People do not like to be told what they can or cannot do. Thats my two cents.
MrBlueCheese
February 19, 2011 at 11:17pm
I think Twitter exercised some restraint in this matter.They could have ban them permanently, but instead, they decided to kick them until they are up to twitter standards.
"Twitter's official statement on the issue says the apps were kicked for a privacy issue involving Direct Messages over 140 characters, trademark violation, and for altering user tweets to make money."
Idk about you, but i think those are perfectly valid reasons to kick the apps.
If i'm not mistaken (i don't use twitter, so i appologize if i get this wrong) but doesn't the company limit to 140 characters or less? If an app extends the limit, i think there might be some problems down the road for the employees at twitter.
Also, if i had a trademark and it was violated, i would want something to be done.
Lastly, i would feel cheated if an app exploited my tweets just so they can make money.
So all an all, i think Twitter's actions are correct and justified.
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