Help Resources / Known Issues / Tweets from strangers in ...

Tweets from strangers in timeline

Submitted Dec 08 by Charles

Are seeing tweets from strangers in your Home timeline? If so, please read on:

 

Where did that tweet come from?

We've received reports from users who are seeing an occasional tweet from a user they do not follow in their Home timeline. If you have seen a tweet or two in your Home timeline which is from a user you are not currently following, chances are you are experiencing this issue. Please be sure that the tweet from a stranger is not a retweet. Retweets look different than regular tweets:

Twitter___Home-1.jpg

If you are able to confirm that the tweet from a stranger in your Home timeline is not a retweet, continue reading.

 

What to do:

We would greatly appreciate information about your situation if you are affected by this issue. Please include the following information in the comments section below:

  1. Your username (Please note that usernames do not contain spaces)

  2. The username of the stranger in your Home timeline

  3. A link to the tweet from the stranger

Bonus information:

  • A link to a screenshot of the tweet from a stranger in your Home timeline (post the image on a photo-sharing website)

 

Please do not comment more than once

 

Comments

User photo
zombiecharmer

My username is zombiecharmer, and this non-RT tweet from a stranger just showed up in my timeline: http://twitter.com/joaovitorxavier/status/6472878712 ; As you can see, the person's name is joaovitorxavier.  Thanks for looking into this!

Dec-08 2009 11:50.
 
User photo
cogitodexter

My username is cogitodexter - seeing random tweets in my timeline from people I've never heard of and which aren't retweets. One example from user "http://twitter.com/Anduaga" which is a protected user anyway: I'm not a follower and shouldn't be able to read their tweets at all. http://bit.ly/65dzRa is the screenshot of it in place.

Dec-08 2009 12:01.
 
User photo
may_kwok
Hello. My username is may_kwok. There is a tweet from a stranger News_Germany, who I do not follow. Screenshot here: http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd322/chinafish81/other/stranger... The link in the reply (if that is what you mean the link to the tweet to the stranger is) http://twitter.com/?status=@News_Germany%20&in_reply_to_status_id=6... Thanks!
Dec-08 2009 12:12.
 
User photo
the_meghatron
I also just saw a protected tweet show up in my timeline from a total stranger. My user name: the_meghatron . Their username: chizu_barcinas. Link to the tweet: https://twitter.com/chizu_barcinas/status/6472977829. Here is the picture of the tweet, complete with lock icon, in my timeline: http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k431/banfennid/twitter1.jpg and here is the picture of the user's profile page, showing that I should not be allowed to see their tweets: http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k431/banfennid/twitter2.jpg . This is a serious security issue that needs to be resolved ASAP.
Dec-08 2009 12:15.
 
User photo
roxpaul

username is roxpaul, the random person is TheTruEssence.  http://twitter.com/TheTruEssence. It's definitely not a retweet, and I have no idea who this person is.  Doubly weird because both her and my tweets are protected.  Thanks for looking into it!

Dec-08 2009 12:35.
 
User photo
shakay13z

username = shakay13z  stranger = India_Headlines (http://twitter.com/India_Headlines) ; the tweet = http://twitter.com/India_Headlines/status/6472996993

screen shot = <a href="http://twitpic.com/spcxj" title="message from stranger in  my  home page timeline on Twitpic"><img src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/spcxj.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="message from stranger in  my  home page timeline on Twitpic"></a>

Dec-08 2009 12:42.
 
User photo
djirdjirak

my username is djirdjirak and I received two tweets from complete strangers today, one was from an account called blackstar (I blocked and reported for spam, but seeing these diff. comments, I wonder if that was the right thing to do) and another tweet from an accoutn called camytzi  - unfortunately I don't really know how to find the link to the tweet - what is for sure these two were no retweets ! and not addressed to me

Dec-08 2009 12:43.
 
User photo
jackgraycnn

my username is jackgraycnn and I just got a tweet on my home timeline from someone I don't follow.

username: nxzeiras

http://twitter.com/nxzeiras/status/6474370160

Dec-08 2009 12:52.
 
User photo
hollyinfrance

Username hollyinfrance, a tweet from user blackstar appeared in my timeline today. I contacted blackstar, who had appeared in other users timelines too (check tweets from/to my account to find the others involved if necessary), and they were not aware of the issue or why it had happened. Sorry this was some time ago, I can't find the exact tweet which appeared. Will try to do a screenshot if it happens again! Thanks for reading.

Dec-08 2009 12:57.
 
User photo
camelus_minimus

username: camelus_minimus

http://twitter.com/jonas0424/status/6463551466

 

No, picture made...

Dec-08 2009 12:57.
 
User photo
soophie

my username: soophie

stranger: AforArin

link to tweet: http://twitter.com/AForArin/status/6463236567

no picture made

Dec-08 2009 13:12.
 
User photo
kbear
This person's twitter appeared in my feed: http://twitter.com/johnkunkle and I do not follow him. My username is kbear. This isn't the first incident, but didn't find the help forum on what to do until after I had blocked the user.
Dec-08 2009 13:13.
 
User photo
landley

My username is landley.  Here's the screen shot of the non-RT tweet from a stranger, which is still there in my timeline if you hit "more" a couple times:

http://landley.net/pictures/2009-12-08-140623_1280x800_scrot.png

The spurious tweet lives at:

http://twitter.com/nntropical/status/6458704069

It was from somebody I've never heard of, and in reply to somebody else I've never heard of, and they're speaking in a foreign language.  It appears totally random.  (Some kind of sha1sum collision?)

 

(On a separate note, gone into most users I follow and blocked Horrible Retweets, but I'm still seeing them from users I've blocked Horrible Retweets from.  Fresh ones showing up days after I've blocked that.  I should open a new bug about that.)

Dec-08 2009 13:17.
 
User photo
clawra
  1. Your username (Please note that usernames do not contain spaces) : clawra

  2. The username of the stranger in your Home timeline : JejeKeenan

  3. A link to the tweet from the stranger : http://m.twitter.com/JejeKeenan/status/6463265421

 

Bonus information:

  • A link to a screenshot of the tweet from a stranger in your Home timeline (post the image on a photo-sharing website) : http://bit.ly/7BU9rn


i dont even understand the tweet. the language i mean. lol

Thanks in advance! :)

Dec-08 2009 14:12.
 
User photo
intrepia

My username: intrepia

Stranger's username: GemmaGrace

Link to tweet: https://twitter.com/GemmaGrace/status/6459580970

Screenshot: http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z186/intrepia/Screenshot2009-12-...

Dec-08 2009 14:16.
 
User photo
rdenmark

me: rdenmark

her:ivie_B

the tweet: http://twitter.com/ivie_B/status/6474163820 (it's in response to someone who I also do not follow and more concerning, ivie_B has a private profile)

image at: http://www.fulgury.com/random-person-tweet.png

Dec-08 2009 14:16.
 
User photo
AndrejsJerkins

1. @andrejsjerkins

2. @deanne5253

3. http://twitter.com/deanne5253/status/6471533778

Dec-08 2009 14:27.
 
User photo
thatsmiller
My username is: thatsmiller The unknown Tweeter's username is: ayulalala The tweet is: http://twitter.com/ayulalala/status/6469838452 Thanks
Dec-08 2009 14:51.
 
User photo
mrcai
 
User photo
arlaneenalra

My username is: arlaneenalra The unknown user is: Luis_Batides   The tweet is: http://twitter.com/Louis_Batides/statuses/6476339018

Dec-08 2009 15:09.
 
User photo
jlmorrison

Username: jlmorrison
unknown user: caroliine_l

tweet link: http://twitter.com/caroliine_l/status/6473145315

Dec-08 2009 15:53.
 
User photo
alaaro

me - @alaaro

them - @lareldunnell

their tweet - http://twitter.com/LarelDunnell/status/6479129016


handful of others, this is the latest.

Dec-08 2009 15:56.
 
User photo
Izandra

1) My user name is Izandra.

2) The unknown user's name is Ashes_Within, and it is a protected user.

3) Link to the tweet that appeared on my timeline:  http://twitter.com/Ashes_Within/status/6479444394

4)  Sorry, am at work, can't do picture.


Thanks.

Dec-08 2009 16:23.
 
User photo
rayk58
Username: rayk58 unknown user: MargaritoHumis tweet link: http://twitter.com/MargaritoHumis/status/6480438298 screenshot: http://twitpic.com/sqe7q
Dec-08 2009 16:56.
 
 
or cancel