Twitter Policies

Our goal is to provide a service that allows you to discover and receive content from sources that interest you as well as to share your content with others. We respect the ownership of the content that users share and each user is responsible for the content he or she provides. Because of these principles, we do not actively monitor user’s content and will not censor user content, except in limited circumstances described below.

Content Boundaries and Use of Twitter

In order to provide the Twitter service and the ability to communicate and stay connected with others, there are some limitations on the type of content that can be published with Twitter. These limitations comply with legal requirements and make Twitter a better experience for all. We may need to change these rules from time to time and reserve the right to do so. Please check back here to see the latest.

•   Impersonation: You may not impersonate others through the Twitter service in a manner that does or is intended to mislead, confuse, or deceive others

•   Trademark: We reserve the right to reclaim user names on behalf of businesses or individuals that hold legal claim or trademark on those user names. Accounts using business names and/or logos to mislead others will be permanently suspended.

•   Privacy: You may not publish or post other people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, street address or Social Security/National Identity numbers, without their express authorization and permission.

•   Violence and Threats: You may not publish or post direct, specific threats of violence against others.

•   Copyright: We will respond to clear and complete notices of alleged copyright infringement. Our copyright procedures are set forth in the Terms of Service.

•   Unlawful Use: You may not use our service for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities. International users agree to comply with all local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content.

•   Misuse of Twitter Badges: You may not use a Verified Account badge or Promoted Products badge unless it is provided by Twitter. Accounts using these badges as part of profile photos, header photos, background images, or in a way that falsely implies affiliation with Twitter will be suspended.

Spam and Abuse

Twitter strives to protect its users from spam and abuse. Technical abuse and user abuse is not tolerated on Twitter.com, and will result in permanent suspension. Any accounts engaging in the activities specified below are subject to permanent suspension.

•   Serial Accounts: You may not create serial accounts for disruptive or abusive purposes, or with overlapping use cases. Mass account creation may result in suspension of all related accounts. Please note that any violation of the Twitter Rules is cause for permanent suspension of all accounts.

•   Username Squatting: You may not engage in username squatting. Accounts that are inactive for more than 6 months may also be removed without further notice. Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be username squatting are:

•                     the number of accounts created

•                     creating accounts for the purpose of preventing others from using those account names

•                     creating accounts for the purpose of selling those accounts

•                     using feeds of third-party content to update and maintain accounts under the names of those third parties

•   Invitation spam: You may not use Twitter.com's address book contact import to send repeat, mass invitations.

•   Selling user names: You may not buy or sell Twitter usernames. 

•   Malware/Phishing: You may not publish or link to malicious content intended to damage or disrupt another user’s browser or computer or to compromise a user’s privacy.

•   Spam: You may not use the Twitter service for the purpose of spamming anyone. What constitutes “spamming” will evolve as we respond to new tricks and tactics by spammers. Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be spamming are:

•                     If you have followed a large amount of users in a short amount of time;

•                     If you have followed and unfollowed people in a short time period, particularly by automated means (aggressive follower churn);

•                     If you repeatedly follow and unfollow people, whether to build followers or to garner more attention for your profile;

•                     If you have a small number of followers compared to the amount of people you are following;

•                     If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates;

•                     If you post misleading links;

•                     If a large number of people are blocking you;

•                     The number of spam complaints that have been filed against you;

•                     If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account;

•                     If you post multiple unrelated updates to a topic using #;

•                     If you post multiple unrelated updates to a trending or popular topic;

•                     If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies or mentions;

•                     If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies or mentions in an attempt to spam a service or link;

•                     If you add a large number of unrelated users to lists in an attempt to spam a service or link;

•                     If you repeatedly post other users' Tweets as your own;

•                     If you have attempted to "sell" followers, particularly through tactics considered aggressive following or follower churn;

•                     Creating or purchasing accounts in order to gain followers;

•                     Using or promoting third-party sites that claim to get you more followers (such as follower trains, sites promising "more followers fast," or any other site that offers to automatically add followers to your account);

•                     If you create false or misleading Points of Interest;

•                     If you create Points of Interest to namesquat or spam.

•   Pornography: You may not use obscene or pornographic images in either your profile photo, header photo, or user background.

Your account may be suspended for Terms of Service violations if any of the above is true. Please see our help pages on Following Best Practices and Automation Rules and Best Practices for a more detailed discussion of how the Rules apply to those particular account behaviors. Accounts created to replace suspended accounts will be permanently suspended.

Accounts engaging in any of these behaviors may be investigated for abuse. Accounts under investigation may be removed from Search for quality. Twitter reserves the right to immediately terminate your account without further notice in the event that, in its judgment, you violate these Rules or the Terms of Service.

Who owns your tweets? What about all that personal information you’ve given Twitter? Or tweets you deleted? Or drafts you saved?

Scott Ellis | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Those questions are the focus of a battle Twitter is waging with a New York State judge.

Twitter says that its users own their tweets, and all that personal information. The court says Twitter does, and should hand them over when subpoenaed. This week Twitter has filed an appeal to New York Supreme Court, the second time it’s filed a motion in this case.

Bottom line: Twitter says that it makes it clear in its terms of services that users own their content and they have “a right to fight invalid government requests,” i.e. subpoenas.

Twitter’s appeal argues that users have a property right to the content they post and have a Fourth Amendment privacy right to their accounts. The company says that deleted Tweets are not public, and that Twitter accounts should have the same protection as personal email accounts. Click here to read Twitter’s appeal.

The Judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. wrote in an April decision, “By design, Twitter has an open method of communication,” noting that in its Privacy Policy Twitter informs users that what “you say on Twitter may be viewed all around the world instantly.” (Read More: Why Twitter Will Live and Facebook Will Die.)


He argued that “the user is granting a license for Twitter to distribute that information to anyone, anyway, and for any reason it chooses.”

It seems that social media accounts have no legal protection — he doesn’t specify how much information social media companies must share. Click here to read the April decision.

This all started with an arrest during an Occupy Wall Street protest last year. (Read More: For Occupy Wall Street, Rain, Crows and Career Advice.)

Early in 2012 prosecutors asked Twitter for information about a protestor, Malcolm Harris. Twitter told Harris about the subpoena, and he filed a motion to quash it. Then in April the Court denied Harris’ motion and told Twitter to comply with the subpoena. In May Twitter filed a motion to oppose that order. In June the court denied Twitter’s motion. And here we are in August, and Twitter appealed that decision and filed motion again.

Twitter’s legal counsel Ben Lee tweeted yesterday: “Twitter users own their Tweets. They have a right to fight invalid government requests, and we continue to stand with them in that fight.”

Twitter users aren’t the only ones paying attention to this battle, which is sure to drag out into next year. The ultimate ruling could impact millions of users not just of Twitter, but also all the other social platforms.