Twitter hit by bug that randomly unfollows new connections

29 Mar 2012

Twitter has been hit with a bug that apparently causes users to unintentionally ‘unfollow’ other Twitter users. Twitter has acknowledged the bug exists and is working to fix the problem.

Twitter last night posted a bug alert indicating the problem affects new follows.

On Twitter’s support page, a message reads: “A person you’ve recently followed shows in your following tab, but appears with a follow icon so it looks like you’re not following them.

“Visit their profile if you’d like to confirm you’re following them. Engineers are working to resolve the issues listed above. Thanks for your patience!”

The bug appears to have emerged in recent days and no one can pinpoint where it began, except to wonder at how it may fracture new online relationships.

Imagine the pique people must feel at being unfollowed on Twitter.

Overnight, people have been tweeting not so much in consternation but in hope the problem is fixed quickly.

For those with thousands of followers finding those who may have been randomly unfollowed might be like finding a needle in a haystack.

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John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com