My Twitter account suspension

On March 9, 2021 at 7:44 pm CST, while I was watching TV with my family, Twitter suspended my account (@willie) for posting 2 tweets (both at 7:44 pm CST) threatening violence against groups or individuals. I do not dispute the need for an automated temporary account suspension on Twitter's behalf.

I did not write or post the 2 abhorrent tweets in question.

How were these tweets posted to my account?

• both tweets were crossposted to Twitter via Foursquare.
• my Foursquare/Swarm account was linked to my Twitter account around 11 years ago. I was surprised that the integration still worked.
• someone unknown to me gained unauthorized access into:
  • my Foursquare account on the web on at 7:41 pm CST.
  • my Swarm account on iOS at 7:43 pm CST.
  • my Foursquare account on another web browser at 7:46 am. CST. The activity notification noted the time as 1:46 am GMT.
• the tweets were cross-posted to Twitter at 7:44 pm CST.
• I no longer have access to my Foursquare account. You can change the email and username of a Foursquare account without any token verification over email or text. It's disturbing.
• I regretably had a weak and obvious Foursquare password.
• Update (3/16/2021): Foursquare support reports that my account was deleted by whoever gained access to my acccount and cannot be recovered.

I'm frustrated that I cannot delete these tweets from my suspended account timeline and I am disgusted by the racial slur contained in them. For those who saw the 2 tweets, it's obvious I did not write them as they do not reflect my writing style or activity over the past 14 years on Twitter.

I am appealing my account suspension. I don't think my suspension should be permanent because I didn't write or post the tweets in question. I'm a victim of an unauthorized attacker gaining access to a linked integration and I think that is obvious from a causal review of my account.

My Twitter account is an important part of my life. I have made many in person friends as a result of Twitter interactions and it's an important source of news and information about my field. I would like my account restored.

Some questions answered

Why did you have a weak password on Foursquare?

There is no excuse, I should have known better. I had considered the financial impact of a Foursquare breach (none, no credit cards stored), but not potential collateral damage.

How did you lose your Foursquare account?

Apparently, if you know the password to a Foursquare account, you can change the email, username, and other things, without any token verification over email or text. As I mentioned, it's disturbing. I'm working with their support right now, and it's unclear what happened after the attackers logged and posted. Update: the attackers deleted my account. Sigh.

Was your Twitter account secure?

Yes and no: I had a complex password and 2FA set up. I thought it was secure, but I had not considered the backdoor aspect of third-party integrations, especially old ones. When I regain access to my account, I'll review (and likely) delete all of them.