Twitter goes after spams and trolls, some users to lose followers
San Francisco, June 27: To address the problem of increasing spam accounts and trolls on its platform, Twitter has introduced tough policies that will soon see some users losing fake followers globally.
In May, Twitter identified and challenged more than 9.9 million potentially "spammy" or automated accounts per week -- up from 6.4 million in December and 3.2 million in September 2017.
Twitter said late Tuesday that it will take further action to challenge a large number of suspected spam accounts globally.
As a result of these improvements, some people may notice their own account metrics change more regularly.
"This is an important shift in how we display Tweet and account information to ensure that malicious actors aren't able to artificially boost an account's credibility permanently by inflating metrics like the number of followers," Twitter said in a blog post.
Some people may see their follower counts drop but this does not mean they did anything wrong, the company said.
To make it harder to register spam accounts, Twitter will now require new accounts to confirm either an email address or phone number when they sign up to the platform.
"This is an important change to defend against people who try to take advantage of our openness," Twitter said in a blog post.
"Due to technology and process improvements during the past year, we are now removing 214 per cent more accounts for violating our spam policies on a year-on-year basis," it added.
Twitter saw a drop in the average number of spam reports -- from an average of approximately 25,000 per day in March, to approximately 17,000 per day in May.
"We've also seen a 10 per cent drop in spam reports from search as a result of our recent changes. These decreases in reports received means people are encountering less spam in their timeline, search, and across the Twitter product," the company said.
Twitter currently has 330 million user accounts.
"We're also moving rapidly to curb spam and abuse originating via Twitter's APIs. In Q1 2018, we suspended more than 142,000 applications in violation of our rules -- collectively responsible for more than 130 million low-quality, spammy tweets," the blog post said.
To reduce the visibility of suspicious accounts in Tweet and account metrics, the company said it has started updating account metrics in near-real time.
"For example, the number of followers an account has, or the number of likes or Retweets a Tweet receives, will be correctly updated when we take action on accounts," it added.
Twitter is also automating some processes where it sees suspicious account activity, like exceptionally high-volume tweeting with the same hashtag, or using the same @handle without a reply from the account a user has mentioned.
Twitter said it will continue to invest in leveraging Machine Learning (ML) technology and partnerships with third parties.
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Three new cubs born to Cheetah Gamini in MP's Kuno Park; India's count rises to 38
Sheopur (MP) (PTI): Cheetah 'Gamini' has given birth to three cubs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, taking the number of these big cats in India to 38, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday.
Describing it as a "roaring" success of the government's ambitious Cheetah re-introduction programme, Yadav said it is a powerful symbol of the country’s determined and historic conservation effort.
Gamini was translocated to India from South Africa as part of the ambitious project launched in September 2022 to revive the population of the world's fastest land animal in India, which had gone extinct decades ago.
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Yadav, in a post on X, said, “Kuno welcomes three new cubs - A roaring new chapter at Kuno on the occasion of completion of 3 years of arrival of cheetahs from South Africa. Celebrations echo through Kuno National Park as Gamini, the South African cheetah and second-time mother, has brought 3 new cubs into the world."
This joyful arrival marks the ninth successful cheetah litter on Indian soil and takes the number of surviving Indian-born cubs to 27, he said.
With these newest additions, India's total cheetah population has now reached 38 - a powerful symbol of the country's determined and historic conservation effort, Yadav highlighted.
Each birth strengthens the foundation of Project Cheetah and reflects the passion, perseverance, and round-the-clock dedication of the field staff and veterinary teams who have nurtured this dream into reality, he said.
"A moment of pride for Kuno, and for India—may Gamini and her three little sprinters grow strong and carry the nation’s cheetah revival story forward with speed and grace," the minister added.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav noted that Madhya Pradesh is a powerful centre for cheetah reintroduction.
This is a historic achievement for the entire country in the direction of wildlife conservation, biodiversity, and environmental balance, the CM said in a post on X.
It is a matter of immense joy that under Project Cheetah, the female cheetah ‘Gamini’ who arrived from South Africa has given birth to three cubs, he said.
"With the completion of three years of cheetahs’ arrival at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, this is the 9th successful birth (of a litter). The total number of cheetahs in India has now increased to 38," Yadav added.
Earlier this month, cheetah Aasha, translocated to India from Namibia, gave birth to five cubs in KNP.
