Explained: Why does Twitter temporarily limit or suspend your account?

Twitter can temporarily limit or suspend an account if it violates rules or terms of service of the micro-blogging site and its policy on enforcement options of laws of the country in which it operates. 

Why in news?

Of late, Twitter locked Rahul Gandhi's account after he shared a photograph of the parents of a minor who was allegedly raped and killed at a crematorium in Delhi on 1 August 2021. Twitter further locked Congress's Twitter account, along with its leaders including Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken, Sushmita Dev and Manickam Tagore who have shared the same photograph. 

Twitter received a notice and request for the removal of the tweet from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Twitter clarified that it deleted the tweet and placed temporary restrictions on the accounts as they violated the sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, both of which mandates that the identity of the victim shall not be disclosed.  

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Scenarios under which Twitter locks your account 

If a message pops up that your account has been suspended or some of its features have been temporarily limited, the below-listed pointers could be the reason. 

1- Your account has been locked for security purposes

Twitter locks your account if it detects suspicious behaviour or if your account may have been compromised. In this state, you can unlock your account by changing your password. 

If an email address is associated with your account, Twitter sent instructions to it to unlock your account. 

2- Your account has been locked and you need to confirm that you are the owner

Your Twitter account may be locked if it exhibited automated behaviour that violates Twitter Rules. You can unlock your account by following the instructions sent over mail. 

Whenever your account is in this state, people who visit your profile may see a message that the account has displayed unusual activity and if they still want to view it. 

3- Your account has been limited for violating Twitter Rules

If your account violated Twitter rules, it may be temporarily limited. However, you can continue browsing Twitter, and send direct messages to your followers. 

Twitter may ask you to complete certain actions before it uplifts limited state such as verifying your email address, adding a phone number, or deleting Tweets that are in violation of Twitter rules.

The accounts that have been temporarily restricted show a message to each profile visitor that the account has violated Twitter Rules, asking them to confirm if they still want to view it.  

It is to be noted that repeat violations of Twitter rules may lead to permanent suspension of your Twitter account. 

4- Your account has been limited due to suspicious activity

If a Twitter account exhibited aggressive following or aggressive engagements violating Twitter rules, it may be limited for a specified time. 

The user will get to choose either of the two options mentioned below:

1- Use Twitter in a temporary, limited state for the pre-specified time period.

2- Complete instructions to verify phone number or email address.

If you choose to Continue to Twitter in a limited state you won't be able to go back and choose the verify option. Furthermore, your account and Tweets may be filtered out of search results and notifications. 

If you choose to Verify, you will have to follow the instructions to verify your phone number and email address to reduce potentially automated activity on Twitter.

It is to be noted if your account appears to have engaged in repeated violations of the Twitter Rules or has aggressively engaged with other accounts, you may not be presented with the option to verify by phone and you will only be able to use Twitter in a limited state for the specified time listed.

In addition to the above, Twitter also enforces local laws on its platform such as labelling tweets as synthetic and manipulated media, limiting its visibility, hiding the tweet until it is removed and more. 

According to Twitter, if an account profile or media content is not in compliance with its policies, it may temporarily suspend it and ask the violator to edit media or information to come into compliance. 

"Conversations are core to Twitter, but if we detect behaviour that may violate the Twitter Rules or inhibit other people’s ability to express themselves freely, we may temporarily limit certain account features. For example, this could mean only your followers are able to see your activity on Twitter, including Tweets, Likes, Retweets, etc. Limiting the reach of potentially abusive content creates a safer environment and a stronger Twitter community," Twitter in a blog post. 

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