A technical issue with URLs is causing the problem, Twitter has said
Twitter's direct messaging feature appears to be experiencing technical difficulties by not allowing certain messages to be sent if they contain links.
The issue was first noticed by some users Wednesday night, with tweets flagging the issue continuing to appear through Thursday morning and into the early afternoon.
Apparently, whether a message can successfully be sent depends on the link it contains. In internal tests, messages containing links to Twitter.com, Facebook.com, YouTube.com and NYTimes.com appeared to work fine. But messages containing links to Google.com did not go through, and neither did messages containing links to Businesswire.com, Inquisitr.com, PCWorld.com or Computerworld.com.
Twitter could not immediately be reached to comment on the issue, though in other reports the company described the problem as a "technical issue with URLs."
Some users' problems, however, suggest there might be more going on. When trying to send a message containing a link, some users reported seeing a message that read, "Permission denied. There was an error sending your message: Text contains malware."
Tweets and direct messages containing links can be dangerous on Twitter, and in the past have been used to hijack members' accounts. In the Netherlands, users reported earlier this year that they were targeted by malicious malware. In that case, hackers used links within Twitter to land people on external sites that would attack their browser and deliver malware.
Twitter already tries to flag certain URLs to prevent phishing and scams, by blocking the posting of suspected malware URLs and flagging suspected harmful shortened URLs. Harmful sites may include phishing sites, sites that download malicious software to the user's computer, or spam sites that request personal information, the company says.
Better policing the links users send through direct messages, therefore, would make sense for Twitter.
Twitter's direct messaging feature has lately been undergoing some experimentation. Last week a new account appeared on Twitter called "Event Parrot," which uses direct messages to keep users up-to-date on the news. On Thursday, direct messages were still sent through that service, with functioning links to sites like NBC News.
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com
In the third and final episode of our 3-part CMO50 video series exploring modern marketing and why it’s become a matter of trust, we’re delighted to be joined by Telstra’s former CMO and now digital services and sales executive, Jeremy Nicholas, and Adobe VP Marketing Asia-Pacific and Japan, Duncan Egan.
Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.
Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?
As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.
