Read the anti-racism post that got me banned from twitter

After I posted this message, twitter sent me a demand for my phone number so that they can text me for verification. So it’s not quite a ban. Twitter message follows: I add dashes to a vulgar word:

[INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]
Example of discrimination conducted by folks other than Nazis. Literature review: Study: anti-black hiring discrimination is as prevalent today as it was in 1989 - Vox
Challenges of reducing racial bias among the non-as—le community:
How to combat people’s racial bias, according to the research - Vox
[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] With objectionable word: https://twitter.com/MeasureMeasure/status/1008138162382622720
After I posted that, I was immediately forwarded to the demand screen.

Here’s my timeline, including tweets, retweets, and replies. Click through the warning: my account is under review. Objectionable word spelled out in top tweet: https://twitter.com/MeasureMeasure/with_replies

I regret typing that cuss-word and would happily delete and resubmit that post. If I could.

BTW, the workaround for twitter’s phone number demand is to use google voice. Other free text message utilities on the web won’t work. I have cold feet with the workaround, despite the fact that I’ve given twitter my credit card number. Ironic! How to Bypass the Twitter Phone Verification - New Account

Bots are notoriously bad at censorship, but it’s nowhere near possible to do it any other way. If you persist, you might eventually be able to have a person make a decison about your tweet. Or you might not.

To be clear, I doubt whether vulgarity was the issue. The algorithm probably weighted the word Nazi more heavily. For example, the person I was replying to posted the following.

Conceivably, the other guy might have happily submitted his phone number at some point. Regardliess, I stick with my clarification: there would be more lore online if people were thwapped for using vulgarity.

I can’t think of a name: I’m guessing that corporate doesn’t think that sharing your cell phone number with them is a big deal. I would also bet that they wouldn’t indemnify me if they get hacked and the phone number/username dataset is published. Just saying.

That said, twitter could have sent a link to my email account. They didn’t. They want my cell number.

:confused:
Send them your number, they text you a code to prove it’s really you. What’s the big deal?

I don’t use Twitter, but I’ve used Facebook and other services where I’ve done similar. Could you explain the problem, I sincerely do not see it.

If they have your cell phone number, they can track (nearly) everything you do on your phone. Whenever you open their site with your phone, they can see what sites you have visited (your browser history), who’ve you called, and a bunch of other stuff. Without your phone number, they might be able to still get that info, but they can’t identify who it is. And, once they have your number, you can guarantee they aren’t going to forget it.

Your cellphone number is your new Social Security Number.

And with that information they ?

If they can get that info without your phone number but can’t tie it to you, and you sometimes use Twitter on your phone, then couldn’t they tie the info to you that way?

And consider that you give our your cell phone number every time you call anyone. Would you think twice about calling the company to complain about this?

With your cell phone number, what they can do is they can call you, and they can text you.

Well, yeah, I would. I would never dream of calling them from my cell phone. I learned from giving out my landline all the time that this is a recipe for junk calls. My cell number is given out only to people I know and trust, period. My landline is like my junk email.

I’m also just more careful with information in general. Everything I’ve read suggests we’re all too sloppy with sharing information online. Humans just underestimate the specificity of data, or don’t realize ho a single big of key information can give out tons more data about you. I’m not going to make that worse by giving out key information.

Even if I trust Twitter, Twitter can be hacked. And Twitter uses advertising, which is always shady in sharing info among several groups.

The risk may be small, but I see no reason to make it worse. I’d be more likely to just give up my account and move on than to use phone number verification. I’m no one special, and no one follows me.

Then again, there’s no way Twitter would ever get my credit card info, either. At that point, the OP might as well just give them his number. They either already have it or could easily get it.

Bots like to use this heavyhanded approach whereby everything that mentions a bad word gets singled out for potential censorship. Doesn’t mean if you are pro-Nazi or a anti-Nazi, the word Nazi will get you highlighted.

And if a black person says, “Today someone called me a (N-word) on the subway,” guess who’s going to be potentially suspended by Big Brother?

I’m not sure about iPhone, but if you use the Twitter app on Android, they already have your phone number.

Twitter can do this? Do you have any evidence that this is possible or being done by a non-governmental agency?

Part of the reason I posted this thread was so we could have this discussion. Mobile adds a level of complexity to privacy concerns. Casual googling hasn’t given me anything definitive (yet).

But here’s some background. Twitter wants to make money hand over fist like Facebook. They probably can’t; they are probably destined to be merely profitable (or die trying to be something they are not). A 2014 article outlines new services they provide to developers (after they got tossed under the bus in 2012). Anyhoo: [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT] Phone numbers give Twitter a better read on who app users are, to better target them with ads (assuming developers also install MoPub, which Twitter owns and offers them access to for free).

Most consumers won’t know about Digits because it will work entirely in the back-end. In fact you may never see the name Twitter when you give the company your number, beyond some tiny, gray text at the bottom of the registration screen that says Digits is “powered by Twitter.”

…Twitter hasn’t denied that it will use people’s phone numbers to better identify who they are. The Information points out that cell phone numbers are better identifiers than email addresses. That could prove more valuable for a mobile advertising network like MoPub. That appears to be the primary way that Twitter will make money from its new, behind-the-scenes Fabric platform, after giving away nifty features to developers like Digits. [/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] Ok, so Twitter is perfectly willing to access your phone number without your knowledge in practice. No worries, but ISTM that this isn’t the kind of operation that will go to too much trouble to protect your identity from hackers.

Ok, here’s the attack vector.

Twitter acquires my phone number. That means they enter my RL name into their dataset, all the better to pepper me with advertisements. Then they get hacked, like they were in 2013, or like yahoo was in 2013 and 2014, or like Facebook and Apple were in 2013, or like AT&T was in 2008 and 2010, or like Citigroup was in 2005, 2011, and 2013, or like JP Morgan Chase was in 2010 and 2014, or like LinkedIn and eHarmony were in 2012, or like Nintendo was in 2013, or like Uber and Equifax were in 2017.

At that point I can be doxxed or even spear-fished. Like millions of other Americans, I’ve interacted with alt-right and Russian trolls. Let’s not give them another opening. Or rather, let’s have other people vulnerable: I don sneakers not to outrun the Russian bear, but to outrun kayaker. :smiley:

Am I the only one seeing the OP’s posts as one single column of text, which is impossible to read?

Would you rather recieve targeted ads or pay for the service? Personally, I’m cool with targeted ads. The possibility of their being hacked is a concern. Doesn’t stop me from shopping on Amazon, having a Netflix account, etc.

Leaffan: I use the indent tool a lot to distinguish in-board quotes from out-board quotes. I was not aware that it rendered poorly on mobile (as I assume you are using). It works fine on my desktop.

kayaker: Twitter is not especially transparent and its policies shift with the winds. Unlike Amazon, twitter is under constant investor pressure and that’s the sort environment where ethics can be suspended. Unknown unknowns are a concern as well.

I plan to keep my account suspended for a few days of discussion, then consider a workaround.

Yes. Android mobile.

It does render fine on my desktop, as I just checked.

I sent twitter a message, explaining that I didn’t want to share my phone number, and received this automated email reply: [INDENT]Hello,

Your account appears to have exhibited automated behavior that violates the Twitter Rules: The Twitter rules: safety, privacy, authenticity, and more.

In order to continue safely using Twitter, please follow these steps:

Log in to your account on the web or open your Twitter app (iOS or Android).
You’ll see a prompt letting you know your account has been locked. Click or tap “Start”.
Select your country/region from the drop down menu, and then enter your phone number. 
Click “Send code” and Twitter will send you a text message with a confirmation code (note that your standard message rates may apply). 
Enter the code you received in the “Your code” box and click “Submit”.
You will see a confirmation message that your account is now unlocked.

Once you confirm your identity, it may take up to a few minutes for your account to be unlocked.

If you’re still experiencing an issue after confirming your identity, please reply to this message and provide us with specific details of the problem you’re experiencing. We’ll do our best to help!

Thanks,

Twitter Support [/INDENT] I can’t tell who I’m following on twitter, since I can’t log in and when I observe my handle via another account, I can’t see who I’m following. I’d be surprised if I was hacked though, since I have a secure password unique to twitter (thank you KeePass). It’s not clear what this so-called automated behavior consists of.

Note that they won’t let me confirm my identity via email, a method which is good enough for financial institutions. Ok, ok, financial institutions use other methods as well. Still. This is a dubious method of identification though as they don’t have my phone number.

True, having twitter handles associated with single phone numbers would put a damper on alt-right trolls (though they would respond just by setting up another account). It wouldn’t hamper Russian trolls, since the latter have budgets for burner phones.

Leaffan: I used 2 indents above. I hope that rendered better.
Everyone else: This thread might get boring moving forward. Or at least mundane and pointless.

Thanks. Yes. That looks fine.

This is the correct answer. Then delete your number from your account after you confirm the text. Simple. The rest is supposition and paranoia. They are trying to avoid bots and has absolutely nothing with “banning” you, which they haven’t done.