Deleted Messages Resurface: Twitter Users Raise Concerns

Does it remind you of the famous line “what we do in this life, has its echo in eternity” from Gladiator? Well, let’s set aside the poetic aspect because if the internet had existed during the time the Ridley Scott film is based on, the story would have taken a different, and not necessarily better, turn. It would have been a mix of various elements.

Imagine if Maximus Decimus Meridius himself had a Twitter account. He wouldn’t have spoken that phrase with stoic pride and hope. Instead, he would have regretted posting something highly inappropriate on the little bird’s social network and facing cancellation.

Are you in a similar situation? Are you one of those Twitter users who have deleted messages over time out of regret or by mistake? If so, be cautious with your data because something unexpected is happening. Many users are reporting that messages they thought were deleted have resurfaced from oblivion.

And it’s not just a few users; at least 400 have reported this problem. Who knows how many others are in the same situation without realizing it. This is not an isolated error but a serious failure with potential consequences.

According to a security expert who experienced and investigated this issue and is now exposing it, he estimates that up to a million tweets could have been restored. These are messages published on the platform and deleted by their authors. He confirms that all his tweets reappeared after deletion.

This is the core of the problem and the reason for the large numbers involved. This developer had published over 34,000 tweets until, like many others, he became disenchanted with the social network when Elon Musk took charge. Although many people report that the resurfaced tweets date back to November 2022, it’s evident that the problem runs deeper.

Not only that, but it could become a significant problem for Twitter. If the deletion feature doesn’t function as intended and if there is some form of permanent data backup, it means that Twitter has deceived its users, in addition to violating various international regulations, including the European GDPR.