IFTTT Has Actually Been In Violation of Twitter’s API For Months, Today’s Move Unrelated To 1.1

So today, IFTTT sent out an email to users letting them know that they’d be dropping support for certain services due to Twitter’s API restrictions. That’s a correct statement, but the timing is very odd.

Here’s why:

After looking at this handy page, which shows the changes that happened with the latest Twitter API update and Terms of Service, version 1.1, I found that the “cloud hosting” reason that IFTTT points to in its email is unchanged. That means that the company has been in violation of Twitter’s API for quite a few months.

Have a look:

Here’s what it says:

You may export or extract non-programmatic, GUI-driven Twitter Content as a PDF or spreadsheet by using “save as” or similar functionality. Exporting Twitter Content to a datastore as a service or other cloud based service, however, is not permitted.

I can’t find out whether Twitter had reached out to IFTTT in the past about this, since I cannot get a statement from either company, but let’s get one thing straight, this move has nothing to do with Twitter’s new API changes, which I have felt strongly about, when it comes to constraining its usage.

In this case, it seems like IFTTT didn’t want to change its ways to play by the rules, but I’d like to hear it directly from them.

Facts are facts, and these are the facts. While this may be a “new” Twitter when it comes to enforcing rules, this is not a case of a new rule affecting a company. Someone is in the wrong here, and it’s not Twitter.

While I wait for a response from IFTTT on whether Twitter had reached out to them months ago about this, please enjoy fine piece of art via Vibhu Norby:

[Photo credit: Flickr]

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