Twitter has confirmed that it has reversed a change that changed the appearance of deleted tweets embedded on websites outside of Twitter (thanks to @RuinDig on Twitter to point this out). Instead of leaving a blank space in place of the deleted tweets, the site will return to displaying the original tweet text.
“After reviewing the feedback we’ve heard, we’re reversing this change for now as we explore various options,” Twitter spokeswoman Remy Dewey said in an email to On the edge. “We appreciate those who shared their views – your feedback helps us make Twitter better.”
If you go to any third – party web page with a built – in tweet (like this one from On the edge), you will see that you can again see the original text of the tweet, the date and the name of the user who posted it. Judging by Twitter’s response, this reversal appears to be only temporary, as the company devises an alternative way to display deleted tweets on websites. It’s not clear what “different options” Twitter may be trying, but hopefully it won’t involve completely blocking any tweet-related information.
On Wednesday, Kevin Marx pointed out that Twitter is quietly starting to use Javascript – potentially as early as the end of March – to block deleted tweets (pictured above) embedded in other websites. This includes tweets from accounts that have been banned or suspended by Twitter, making it impossible to see embedded tweets from people like Donald Trump, whom Twitter banned last year. This has had major implications for news stories that include deleted tweets or tweets from banned users, which are usually important to the context.
Earlier this week, Twitter announced it was working on a long-awaited “edit” button, raising concerns about whether people might abuse the feature to change the content of the tweet (including those that are embedded) once it has been shared.