I don't want to Twitter, you twat

July 12, 2009 5:42 PM

Doesn't Twitter authenticate email addresses when people sign up for new accounts?

I was away from my computer for a while today, and when I came back to my email, someone had created a Twitter account using MY email address and started adding/receiving contacts (followers, whatever).

I reset the password and then deleted the account. Moments later I got a request to restore the account.

So Twitter, one of the most popular sites on the whole interwebs (but of which I am NOT a member), really lets people just sign up any email address and start posting immediately without verification of that email address? Doesn't that seem... I don't know... like a terrible idea?

Has anyone else ever dealt with this?

posted by educatedslacker to computers & internet (7 answers total)

Melissa Summers also just experienced this problem. Twitter was totally useless and yes, you could create an account with any email address you wanted.
posted by kate blank at 5:57 PM on July 12, 2009

Reset the password and do not delete the account.
posted by rdr at 6:00 PM on July 12, 2009

I restored the account and logged a support ticket explaining the situation and suggesting that they add email address verification. Doubtful that anything will happen, but I guess you never know.

And rdr, any particular reason to NOT delete the account? I'm Twitter-oblivious, so any explanation would be appreciated.
posted by educatedslacker at 6:16 PM on July 12, 2009

Having reset the password and kept the account active, the other person can't re-use the email address or do anything with the account, since they don't have the password.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:25 PM on July 12, 2009 [1 favorite]

Any chance they are adding/receiving contacts from people that you know?
posted by Pants! at 6:30 PM on July 12, 2009

Ohhhh, right. Forgot about preventing others from using it. Good call, jacquilynne. Thanks.

And Pants!, nobody I recognized. Judging from the username though, I'm guessing they just mistyped the email address. Nothing malicious, I'm sure. But, of course, working in IT, my mind instantly goes to how much of a security hazard this could be.
posted by educatedslacker at 6:40 PM on July 12, 2009

You might also, once you have the account under your control, leave a tweet on it with a throwaway email address for the person who thinks it's his twitter account to contact you. Then, if it's possible to update the address on a twitter account, you could change it to his and send him the password, so he'd have the account, and it wouldn't be tied to you anymore.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:54 PM on July 12, 2009