Twitter provides additional clarity on how it restricts visibility of duplicate content that is widely shared across the platform.
Twitter’s policy against duplicate content was initially implemented in 2020, and has not been adequately communicated yet.
It was not clear what constitutes a violation, or what exactly happens when the violation occurs.
Twitter has now published a help page that answers many unknown questions.
A Twitter policy, colloquially known as “copypasta,” targets blocks of text, images, or a group of content copied and pasted into tweets.
Content that violates this policy may be hidden from other users, or be ineligible for promotion.
In cases of severe violations, this may result in account removal or permanent suspension.
Duplicate Tweets can manipulate user experiences
Twitter Rules and policies page States:
“Copypasta or duplicate content is a tactic to spread a message, is used for a wide range of purposes, and can be repetitive, spammy, and disruptive to people’s experience on Twitter.”
According to Twitter, copypasta can be used to manipulate the site to artificially enhance content, suppress information, or manipulate the app’s trends and top search results.
Content that will be restricted under these new rules includes:
- An identical or near-identical post tweeted by either a single account or multiple accounts.
- Duplicate or pasted Tweets that disrupt user experiences, including those that tag users or use hashtags with identical content.
This will not affect posts made using Twitter’s Retweet feature or copied content that is combined with a unique comment or reaction.
Tweets that explicitly quote copied text will also not be affected.
Copypasta Tweets will have limited visibility
Twitter will limit access to duplicate Tweets in the same way it restricts those deemed offensive, spam, or in violation of applicable laws.
The social media platform limits the visibility of this type of content by:
- Make tweets ineligible for amplification in top search results and trends.
- Not recommending tweets to people who don’t follow the author.
- Tweets in replies rank low.
- Exclude Tweets and accounts from email or in-product recommendations.
These Tweets will still be visible to Twitter users who follow the Tweet author directly.
Featured image: Anton Zubchevskyi/Shutterstock
