Twitter closed the API to ensure oblivion – Computer Point

Rome – Politwoops and Diplotwoops, two real archives of tweets deleted by users with institutional profiles, have been blocked by Twitter for violation of its guidelines along with other similar services for a total of 31 different accounts on its platform. The tecnofringuello had already blocked the API exploited by Politwoops who had raised a hornet’s nest of controversy by keeping track of Tweet erased by politicians and public figures in the United States : the decision, at first, he had been taken on the basis considerations related to privacy.

Until 2012, in particular, had had access to the developer Politwoops Twitter API to scan its contents and identify tweets removed from their authors, keeping them in its records: it was all used with the ‘idea not to get rid of the messages sent and then deleted from the political stars and stripes and therefore to ensure transparency. In addition to this, in 30 countries politicians were subjected to archiving by account dedicated to the memory of their comments and their blunder through their releases on Twitter.

However, no apparent warning and plausible justification , Twitter starting last June – has decided to discontinue these types of services, explaining that prevails is the desire to ensure the privacy of its users.

This decision was reflected in the desire to permanently block access those services deemed in violation of the terms of use that prohibit developers to publish content from third parties in the meantime removed, and is the result of a “deep internal comparison and analysis of several factors” which showed the will not make “so terrifying” immutable and irrevocable tweets by its users.

To suffer the consequences of the decision apparently pro-privacy of Twitter is public debate and transparency. As emphasized activist diElectronic Frontier Foundation Parker Higgins “the exciting thing about platforms like Twitter is that politicians and public representatives who use them have more responsibility and must ensure greater transparency.” But this ideal situation, he says, is mortified by the current situation.

Claudio Tamburrino