I've discovered an online application - I won't mention the name - but it seems to break Twitter API. I'm wondering how they get away with it.
Here's what the application does. It allows the user to enter a number of keyword phrases to monitor with. Every time a phrase is mentioned e.g. twitter api, it replies to the person who sent that tweet with an automated response e.g. 'to find out more about twitter api visit http://xxx' Seems there's a couple of issues here. 1. How are they getting passed rate limiting to scan every tweet and then send out a reply? The application could have thousands of users! 2. According to Twitter "The @reply function is intended to make communication between users easier, and automating this process to put unsolicited messages into lots of users’ reply tabs is considered an abuse of feature. If you are automatically sending @reply messages to a bunch of users, the recipients must request or approve this action in advance. For example, sending automated @replies based on keyword searches is not permitted. Users should also have an easy way to opt-out of your service (in addition to the requirement that all users must opt-in before receiving the messages). We review blocks and reports of spam, so you’ll need to provide a clear way for users to stop your messages. *Spam: You may not use the Twitter service for the purpose of spamming anyone. What constitutes “spamming” will evolve as we respond to new tricks and tactics by spammers. Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be spamming are: If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies; If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies in an attempt to spam a service or link;" Can anyone explain to me how this online application is getting around these issues? Thanks Colin
