Twitter restores Russian parody accounts after outcry

tech2 News StaffJun 02, 2016 10:49:01 IST

Twitter had shutdown two Russian parody accounts @DarthPutinKGB and @SovietSergey for violation of parody accounts policies. The particular rule in question was that the bio should clearly communicate that the account is a parody account. Apparently, the cause of the suspension was that the account could be confused with the official account. The Russian Federation is not known for having a sense of humour, and this sent followers of the parody accounts into a frenzy.

The local media started putting farewell notes for the accounts, noting how timely, relevant but not abusive the content was. Owners of a blog related to the account put up a short post, confirming that the accounts were shut by Twitter, and that they would be back. Users rallied under the hashtag #NoGulagforDathPutinKGB, accusing Twitter of arbitrary enforcement of regulations.

https://twitter.com/GraceCuddihy/status/737939504183582720

https://twitter.com/KathiLoveless/status/738013774377037824

https://twitter.com/TuckerTues/status/738008007754317824

The followers quickly managed to make this a big issue, catching the attention of the International media. Twitter stood accused of censorship. The outcry caught Twitter's attention, and the accounts were restored barely a day after being suspended. DarthPutin celebrated the return in a series of tweets. DarthPutin was back, just as promised in the blog post.

https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/738088102183325697

https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/738039457090265088

https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/738082861345951744

The biography for the parody account has a quip and an accusation at the Russian government. DarthPutin blames the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for taking down the account, and cheekily notes that @mfa_russia appears more like a parody account than his.