Twitter has scrambled to fix a glitch that automatically subscribed people to President Trump's tweets - even after deliberately unfollowing or blocking his account.
The company said the issue stemmed from an error during the handover of the official presidential Twitter account - @POTUS - from Obama to Trump. The account was supposed to retain its original 13 million followers, who would also be automatically added to an account containing an archive of the Obama administration's @POTUS tweets.
However, some users have reported that despite blocking or unfollowing the @POTUS account prior to the switchover, they found themselves mysteriously re-subscribed. There have even been claims that users have found themselves following the account despite never choosing to follow it in the first place.
Twitter blamed this on technical issues, and CEO Jack Dorsey took to the platform to explain and apologise. He revealed that in addition to the @POTUS account, the problem also affected other government accounts including the official vice president, press secretary and White House accounts.
The Trump-controlled presidential Twitter handle now has 14.3 million followers, and while the problem affected 560,000 people, Dorsey said that "we believe we've corrected all accounts to reflect your follow/unfollow intent".
-
What does modern security success look like for financial services?Sponsored As financial institutions grapple with evolving cyber threats, intensifying regulations, and the limitations of ageing IT infrastructure, the need for a resilient and forward-thinking security strategy has never been greater
-
Yes, legal AI. But what can you actually do with it? Let’s take a look…Sponsored Legal AI is a knowledge multiplier that can accelerate research, sharpen insights, and organize information, provided legal teams have confidence in its transparent and auditable application
-
How to use LinkedIn to market yourself as an IT professionalwhitepaper Whether you’re updating your LinkedIn profile or creating one for the first time, it’s critical to remain consistent and credible if you hope to raise your profile within the IT industry
-
Who owns the data used to train AI?Analysis Elon Musk says he owns it – but Twitter’s terms and conditions suggest otherwise
-
Elon Musk confirms Twitter CEO resignation, allegations of investor influence raisedNews Questions have surfaced over whether Musk hid the true reason why he was being ousted as Twitter CEO behind a poll in which the majority of users voted for his resignation
-
Businesses to receive unique Twitter verification badge in platform overhaulNews There will be new verification systems for businesses, governments, and individuals - each receiving differently coloured checkmarks
-
Ex-Twitter tech lead says platform's infrastructure can sustain engineering layoffsNews Barring major changes the platform contains the automated systems to keep it afloat, but cuts could weaken failsafes further
-
‘Hardcore’ Musk decimates Twitter staff benefits, mandates weekly code reviewsNews The new plans from the CEO have been revealed through a series of leaked internal memos
-
Twitter could charge $20 a month for 'blue tick' verification, following Musk takeoverNews Developers have allegedly been given just seven days to implement the changes or face being fired
-
Twitter reports largest ever period for data requests in new transparency reportNews The company pointed to the success of its moderation systems despite increasing reports, as governments increasingly targeted verified journalists and news sources
