Users of popular Twitter clients UberTwitter and Twidroyd found that they couldn't log into Twitter today, and a post in the Twitter help center explains why: UberTwitter and Twidroyd have been suspended for violating Twitter's policies. TechCrunch followed up with Twitter on the suspensions and discovered that the suspended apps were violating Twitter's privacy, trademark and monetization rules.Twitter spokesperson Carolyn Penner told TechCrunch, "Violations include, but aren't limited to, a privacy issue with private Direct Messages longer than 140 characters, trademark infringement, and changing the content of users' Tweets in order to make money."
Both UberTwitter and Twidroyd were recently purchased by UberMedia, a company that has been buying up Twitter clients (Echofon and TweetDeck are other recent purchases) and adding them to its Twitter ad network. The trademark issues probably arose because of the "Twitter" in UberTwitter's name, but whatever UberMedia did to provoke Twitter's ire is more likely an issue with paid tweets or tweeting ads on behalf of users. Twitter has made in-stream ad networks a strict no-no under its API terms. It will be interesting to see what specific violation it found in UberMedia's case, but so far it hasn't been revealed.
UPDATE: UberMedia chief Bill Gross has tweeted that his company will make Twitter's requested changes to UberTwitter and twidroyd, and they expect to have the apps "back up and running ASAP."
Twitter suspends UberTwitter and Twidroyd for policy violations originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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