Trump Account Deactivation Raises Twitter Security Questions

Trump Account Deactivation Raises Twitter Security Questions

The temporary deactivation Thursday of the personal Twitter account of President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump, by a customer support employee on their last day of employment has raised questions about Twitter’s internal security.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Nov 06, 2017

The temporary deactivation of the personal Twitter account of President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump, by a customer support employee on their last day of employment has raised questions about Twitter’s internal security.

Last week, Twitter initially said that @realDonaldTrump was “inadvertently deactivated due to human error” but later said that the account was deactivated by a third-party customer support contractor. The social media platform has not yet released the employee’s name and stated it was “conducting a full internal review” and “taking steps to prevent this from happening again.”

The 11-minute deactivation has led to questions about the internal security and protocol that allowed a customer support employee to deactivate such a high-profile account. A former senior Twitter employee said that “a lot” of employees have the ability to suspend a user’s account, though fewer are able to fully deactivate one.

The source said that the system was simple to navigate, with account deactivation a click away if an employee has the right to access the tool. They added that Twitter had discussed special protections for verified or high-profile accounts but had never implemented these protections or changed protocol despite awareness that its suspension permissions were open to abuse.

According to Twitter Support, accounts currently may be suspended or deactivated for violations of the Twitter rules, such as abusive tweets or behavior, account security problems or spam. In addition, Twitter offers a reward program for security researchers who report qualifying security vulnerabilities in the platform.

Twitter has not commented on plans to prevent unauthorized deactivation of accounts from happening again.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.