Twitter crackdown on mass tweeting
San Francisco: In yet another attempt to fight spam on its platform, Twitter has announced a new set of guidelines that will prohibit bots from posting mass tweets as well as prevent automated tweets.
One of the most common spam violations is the use of multiple accounts and the Twitter developer platform to artificially amplify or inflate the prominence of certain tweets.
"Twitter prohibits any attempt to use automation for the purposes of posting or disseminating spam, and such behaviour may result in enforcement action," the company said in a blog post on Thursday.
The company is making changes to TweetDeck and the Twitter API to limit the ability of users to perform coordinated actions across multiple accounts.
Users of TweetDeck will no longer be able to select multiple accounts through which to perform an action such as tweeting, retweeting, liking or following.
"These changes are an important step in ensuring we stay ahead of malicious activity targeting the crucial conversations taking place on Twitter -- including elections in the United States and around the world," said Yoel Roth who handles API Policy at Twitter.
Twitter cautioned not to simultaneously post identical or substantially similar content to multiple accounts.
"For example, your service should not permit a user to select several accounts they control from which to publish a given Tweet," the post read.
As an alternative to posting identical content, you can retweet content from one account from the other accounts you wish to share that post from.
"This should only be done from a small number of distinct accounts that you directly control. Please note that bulk, aggressive, or very high-volume automated retweeting is not permitted under the Automation Rules, and may be subject to enforcement actions," Roth warned.
"If your app or service includes features which allow users to perform simultaneous actions across multiple accounts, you should make changes to bring it into compliance with this policy by March 23," Twitter said.
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Porsche car crash case exposed systemic corruption: Pune police commissioner
Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.
The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.
"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.
"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.
He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.
"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.
He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.
Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.
"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.
"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.
He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".
The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.
The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.
While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.
