Twitter removes over 1.43 lakh apps in Apr-Jun; tightens process for developers

As part of its efforts to crack down on spam and misuse of its platform, Twitter today said it has removed over 1.43 lakh applications between April and June this year as these violated its policies.

Twitter said it is taking additional steps to counter challenges ranging from "spam and malicious automation to surveillance and invasions of privacy" that the platform and its users face. "Between April and June 2018, we removed more than 143,000 apps which violated our policies, and we're continuing to invest in building out improved tools and processes to help us stop malicious apps faster and more efficiently," Twitter said in a statement.

It asserted that it does not tolerate the use of its tools "to produce spam, manipulate conversations, or invade the privacy of people using Twitter".

Twitter is also introducing a new option for people to report suspected violations of policies for review by the company. Users can use the 'Report a bad app' option in Twitter's Help Center to report uses of its APIs that produce spam, invade user privacy, or otherwise violate the platform's rules.

The move is the latest in the series of steps taken by the microblogging site to curb abuse of its platform. Earlier this month, Twitter had announced that it will purge suspicious accounts to offer a meaningful insight into a user's follower count.

Twitter said since 2006, it has allowed developers to access its APIs. Third-party developers can access Twitter's application programming interface (APIs) to build their own apps on the microblogging platform.
Twitter pointed out that it is introducing a new way for all developers to request access to its APIs, along with upcoming changes to increase accountability for apps creating and engaging with content and accounts on Twitter at high volumes.

"These changes enable us to have more visibility and control over how developers use our platform and public data from the people using our service, and are intended to help address spam and platform abuse and keep the Twitter service safe and secure for everyone," it added.

As part of request for access to Twitter's APIs, developers will be required to provide detailed information about how they use or intend to use the APIs to help ensure better compliance with policies, the company said.