May 7, 2021
Blog, Social media
Why does Twitter suspend an account- at a glance

In the light of the news, we heard about Twitter suspending Indian actress Kangana Ranaut’s Twitter account – permanently! You must be wondering when and why a mammoth social media company like Twitter takes such a step. Well, this is not the first time Twitter Is doing it! In the past, too, it has permanently deleted celebrity accounts for engrossing reasons.

Rose McGowan Twitter account was banned when she included a personal phone number while speaking against Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual harassment. Indian singer- Abhijeet Bhattacharya’s account was suspended when he posted sexist remarks against women. Martin Shkreli- the famous “pharma bro” was banned from Twitter when he posted a creepy collage of Teen Vogue editor Lauren Duca. When Kamaal R Khan revealed the climax of Advait Chandan’s directorial, ‘Secret Superstar’ in a tweet- he was suspended from Twitter. Hugely popular YouTuber PewDiePie’s account was suspended because he cracked a joke on ISIS in a tweet!

And honestly! The list goes on for varied reasons- quite interesting to understand. According to the Twitter policy page, anything that harms a safe environment for its users – will not be entertained. That is- when it is against Twitter rules! So, what are these Twitter rules?

  • You can’t invoke violence towards an individual or group of people
  • You can’t promote or threaten terrorism, can’t summon others, or you can’t target harassment– including wish and hope!
  • There is no hateful conduct or gathering of others based on ethnicity, caste, colour, creed, gender identity, disability, or severe disease.
  • It cannot encourage suicides and self-harm.
  • Can’t share media with graphic violence, extremely gory and adult content in any way!
  • No selling, buying or doing the illegal transaction for goods and services through Twitter.
  • You cannot post other people’s private information in any way
  • No third-party advertising using Twitter services
  • Cannot Impersonate an individual, group or organization in a manner that confuses and misleads.
  • No synthetic and manipulated media post that is intended to or can cause harm.
  • You cannot violate others’ intellectual property rights.
  • You cannot use Twitter services to manipulate and interfere in civil procedures such as elections!

So, why does Twitter suspend accounts?

  • Plain fake accounts! Most of the accounts are suspended because they are spammy.
  • Hacking! If an account is hacked or compromised, it might be suspended until it is restored to refrain from cruel practices.
  • If twitter rules surrounding abuse are violated.

So, can the Twitter account be unsuspended?
It, of course, depends on why the account was suspended at first. But according to Twitter’s support page, it does have a policy where the person whose account is suspended can file an appeal- either by platform interface or filing a report. Twitter will respond accordingly. If the suspension is justified, it will notify the violator of the policy on which the punishment was based.

Was this action in Ranaut’s case a thoughtful move?
It appears that Twitter had repeatedly warned the actress before finally taking this step. Also, being a verified account with 3 million followers- comes with greater responsibility. Thus, his final tweet allegedly inciting violence led Twitter to take the harshest step towards a violator.

So next time you tweet! Take Twitter warnings seriously. Until then, keep tweeting your mind.