Twitter users who tweeted the word ‘Memphis’ have been automatically suspended from the social media platform.
After tweeting the word ‘Memphis’, users have reported their posts being quickly removed and their accounts blocked.
Those that have risked tweeting the name have received messages from Twitter saying they have been locked out of their accounts for 12 hours.
The Dutch football club Olympique Lyonnais has commented on the mysterious banning of accounts. Referring to their midfielder Memphis Depay, the club shared a picture and tweeted:
In the comments section, Twitter users were spurring each other on to write his name, asking what Depay’s first name is. Some users have taken the bait, while others have replied with variations of his name like ‘Memphìs’, with an accent.
Multiple posts have been removed, indicating the braver (or more foolish) souls that have shared the name.
Fortunately, Twitter users that were banned for sharing the word ‘Memphis’ have had their accounts reinstated within 12 hours.
Twitter is mistakenly blocking its users for saying ‘Memphis’ due to a system error.
According to The Guardian, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed the blocks were an error. The company said in a statement:
“Earlier today, there was a system issue impacting accounts that tweeted the word ‘Memphis’,”
“The issue mistakenly requested that account owners delete those Tweets and temporarily limited their account features. The affected accounts are now reinstated and this issue has been resolved.”
For more intriguing Twitter content, here are some of the best tweets to come out of January.