Twitter blocks services that allowed users to follow accounts in bulk

Services like Crowdfire, Managefilter can no longer offer tools for users to follow and unfollow accounts in bulk.

Twitter will no longer allow services to offer tools for following and unfollowing accounts in bulk. (REUTERS)

Over the last year or so, Twitter has stepped up efforts to make the platform more secure and credible for its users. This includes wide crack down on fake accounts, spam, trolls and bots. The company is now shifting its attention to third-party services that allowed some users to gain followers in bulk.

Twitter on Thursday said it had revoked API access to such third-party applications such as ManageFilter, StatusBrew and Crowdfire, reported TechCrunch.

"We have suspended these three apps for having repeatedly violated our API rules related to aggressive following and follow churn. As a part of our commitment to building a healthy service, we remain focused on rapidly curbing spam and abuse originating from use of Twitter's APIs," a Twitter spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.

These applications are said to have violated Twitter's policy of mass following and following accounts within a short time.

So, who's affected by the latest crackdown? Twitter's latest move will impact accounts with 10,000 or 20,000 followers who may have followed you out of the blue or those who send automated DMs when you follow them.

For instance, ManageFilter's paid services allow users to follow accounts in a bulk. It also allows users to see those who haven't followed back and unfollow them.

As for Crowdfire and StatusBrew, these services offered features like auto DMs and notifications. Users would receive DMs from the accounts they follow, and also notifications suggesting which accounts to follow. Twitter will allow new apps from these developers but without the mass follow tool.

Similarly, Instagram also announced it would remove fake followers, likes and comments on the platform. Influencers who use third-party apps to generate fake reactions on Instagram would be identified and purged accordingly.