Twitter users are raising concerns as deleted tweets resurface on the platform at an alarming rate. According to reports from multiple users, the social media app has restored a staggering 34,000 messages that were previously deleted. The bug also seems to affect deleted retweets, further exacerbating the issue.
Although the problem appears to be widespread, the data currently available is primarily anecdotal. It seems to predominantly impact users who have batch-deleted tweets using third-party services like Redact or TweetDelete, although there have been cases where this was not the method used. It is advisable for users to check their feeds for the reappearance of any deleted tweets, even dating back to years ago, including those ill-considered Harambe tweets from 2016.
While this issue may be trivial for some, it raises concerns about how Twitter handles and safeguards users’ private data. A former Twitter Site Reliability Engineer shared a hypothesis on Mastodon, suggesting that the problem might have occurred during the transfer of servers between data centers, without the proper adjustment of the network topology before reintroduction. Unfortunately, obtaining an official statement from the company is currently challenging as Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, disbanded the press team and replaced the press line with a bot that responds only with poop emojis. If the company does issue any kind of statement addressing the issue, this article will be updated accordingly.
These reports add to the string of bizarre incidents Twitter has faced in recent months. The city of San Francisco launched an investigation into potential building code violations, and the platform has been plagued with technical issues. Consequently, there has been a significant decline in user engagement, with competitors eagerly awaiting the opportunity to attract those departing from the service.
