If you’ve noticed that the reach of your tweets or other content such as replies has been reduced without you receiving any notification… you may be experiencing a Twitter shadowban.
Don’t you know what this practice is or what it consists of on some social networks, such as Instagram? We’ll tell you!
What is Shadowban on Twitter?
Twitter shadowbanning is a practice in which social networks limit the content and participation of a specific user without warning or sending them any notice.If you suspect this has happened to you, performing a Twitter shadowban test can help you identify and resolve the issue.
The opposite of what happens when TikTok, for example, blocks access to your account and your content by sending a notification to your inbox.
In this case, Twitter is reducing the reach of content posted by a shadowbanned user. The tweet’s creator will see it, but the rest of their community may not.
What could be the purpose of blocking content in a “ghost” manner? Probably because this way the user who has been shadowbanned does not try to create another account, since he does not know that he has been banned.
Why Twitter Shadowbans You
What happened to your account for Twitter to apply these practices to your content?
There are several reasons why your account could have been banned. If nothing has happened to it, knowing these reasons can help you avoid it happening to you in the future.
- Not having a clear profile: profile photo, cover photo, or having confirmed your email address. Twitter may think you have a fake account.
- Sharing fraudulent content: too much SPAM, offensive or violence-inciting tweets, promotions, or fake news.
- Violating Twitter rules: This may result in your account being blocked or suspended.
- Using pirated apps to automate certain actions: liking, retweeting, or automating responses.
- Buy followers to grow your community.
If you avoid these actions, Twitter will not apply any practices on your account, since it is not finding any strange behavior.
How to know if you are shadowbanned on Twitter
Now that you know what a shadowban is and what are the possible reasons why Twitter might shadowban you, is there any way to find out?
If you’re looking to improve your Twitter presence beyond avoiding shadowbans, leveraging high-quality content is key. One way to boost engagement is through video content. Check out these Twitter Video Tools to create and optimize engaging videos that can help you stand out on the platform.
The answer is yes. As we mentioned at the beginning, this shadowban reduces the reach of your tweets, so what better way to search your tweets to see if they are public?
- Internally.
If you have an alternative account, you can go to the Twitter search engine and type from: and your username. For example: from:daniel109. And check the results. If the content is limited, you may be shadowbanned.
You can also use this option in an incognito window in your browser, without needing to log in.
- With shadowban Twitter test.
This page helps you find out if you are shadowbanned by doing a little test. It’s very simple, go to this page, type in your username, and click Check or enter.
The page tells you if your account exists and if it has any bans on search suggestions, results, hiding tweets, or replies to tweets.
- With tags.
In its aim to show transparency when hiding or reducing the reach of tweets that do not comply with Twitter’s requirements or rules, the social network has incorporated labels to hide these tweets.
So, if you see a tweet like the one shown in the example image, it is probably because it has violated the social network’s terms and rules. A label that can appear on a single tweet or in a thread of replies.
If users feel that their tweet has been unfair, they can send comments to the social network, although this does not mean that Twitter will change its mind; something that the social network is working on: the possibility for users to appeal this decision.
Types of shadowbans on Twitter
After reading what the shadowban test says about your account, you might be wondering… “Are there types of bans?”
These are the types of actions Twitter may take to limit your account:
- Thread blocking.
This ban means that Twitter hides any replies you make to other tweets.
- Blocking search suggestions
Twitter often displays profiles in search results. If you are penalized in this way, your account will no longer appear in search results.
- Search blocking
The social network will hide your tweets from search results, even if they contain the exact word.
- Label tweets with false information.
If Twitter considers that the tweet contains false information, it will consider adding a label giving context to the content: manipulated media.
- Limit access or visibility of the tweet.
With this measure, Twitter reduces the reach and visibility of tweets that they consider to have violated the social network’s terms and regulations.
This way, they prevent the spread of the content by restricting it in search results and in the timeline of users who do not follow the author.
- Request for deletion of tweets.
Twitter may request the removal of a tweet (or several) that has violated the rules of the social network. The author can proceed to delete them, which will be notified by email, or file a complaint if he or she believes it was a mistake.
During this process, Twitter may even hide the content of the tweet.
As you can see, all shadowban punishments influence your account’s reach and therefore your growth.
Our advice is to follow Twitter’s guidelines and try to avoid such behavior.