Censorship on Twitter: permanent ban the account of NFT game Splinterlands

After tweeting through your account since 2018 she has been Splinterlands, a blockchain NFT card game service permanently disabled and Twitter refuses to respond to appeals.

Does the Splinterlands ban have anything to do with Twitter launching its own NFT?

Although the hype surrounding the unmistakable tokens (NFT) may have calmed down, there is still plenty of controversy surrounding the area. The latest incident involves no one but the social network Twitter.

Although Jack Dorsey has warmly welcomed the sector after auctioning off his first NFT tweet, the platform’s recent decision to ban Splinterlands has sparked new debates about the platform’s censorship.

Splinterlands, which offers players the opportunity to collect, trade and fight many NFT collectibles, was among the first to adopt the unique features of unmistakable tokens. The Twitter account was banned by the platform on June 23 for no apparent reason. It happened without warning or explanation.

There is some speculation that Splinterlands may have been banned for violating certain Twitter policies regarding the sale of “illegal or certain regulated goods or services.” The policy states: “You may not use your service for any illegal purpose or to promote illegal activities. This includes the sale, purchase or facilitation of transactions in illegal goods or services, as well as certain types of regulated goods or services. “

Because the company does not sell financial products, is a gaming platform, and does not operate secondary markets for its collectibles, which the community oversees, the violation is unclear. Due to the fact that the platform was not notified in advance of possible breaches, it is still difficult to determine whether they have occurred, especially given the number of other accounts to which similar practices have been applied.

Splinterlands has already filed several appeals to lift the suspension, with a mysterious message from Twitter arriving on June 30, explaining that the suspension will be permanent and that further appeals will be ignored.

Special Twitter timing

Chris Roberts, director of Splinterlands, although it is completely speculative, pointed out the timing. The company’s account ban coincided with Twitter’s decision on the same day to reveal its NFT line to 60 million followers, making the ban a bit suspicious.

Maybe Twitter is using its status to crush other players in the NFT before launching its “a la” Amazon product to eliminate any major competition. Many, such as Chris Roberts of Splinterlands, believe it could be a form of censorship, and reiterate the need for more censorship-resistant platforms such as Hive or Peakd.

However, in the absence of more specific evidence, this link remains unfounded. There have been no new developments since the announcement of the ban, and since Twitter has not clarified it, the motives for the social giant’s move and whether it was justified raise many questions.

Meanwhile, #freesplinterlands is circulating on Twitter as the community grabs things and fights what it sees as an unwarranted suspension. In addition, Splinterlands was selected as Marketsquare Game of the Month, which brought additional attention from Marketsquare users.