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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Trump's immigration crackdown puts over 20,000 undocumented Indians at risk
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping immigration crackdown, emphasizing the southern border with Mexico and criminal cartels. However, this policy shift has also raised concerns in New Delhi, particularly for the 20,407 undocumented Indians facing uncertain futures in the United States.
As of November 2024, these individuals fall into two categories: 17,940 are under final removal orders but not detained, while 2,467 remain in detention under the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Indians now constitute the fourth-largest national group in ICE custody and the largest among Asians. Overall, ICE currently detains more than 37,000 non-citizens from various countries.
A final removal order, issued by an immigration judge, becomes binding once affirmed by an appellate authority. ICE has identified India as one of 15 "uncooperative" nations, citing reluctance to accept deported nationals. This designation includes delays in removal proceedings, refusal to conduct consular interviews, and resistance to accepting deportees via charter flights.
Non-citizens can appeal removal orders to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Even when a final order is upheld, deportations may not occur due to protective provisions under the Convention Against Torture or established risks of persecution in their home countries.
The deportation of Indians from the US has surged dramatically, rising from 292 in 2021 to 1,529 in 2024, according to ICE's annual report. However, data discrepancies remain. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Lok Sabha that 519 Indians were deported between November 2023 and October 2024. In contrast, the Department of Homeland Security reported 1,100 deportations during the same period, including voluntary departures and withdrawals.
