Twitter investigating after users say they're being added as followers of Donald Trump
Official accounts including @POTUS, @FLOTUS and @WhiteHouse changed hands during transition
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Twitter is investigating claims that users were unknowingly added to the @POTUS account after President Donald Trump took control of it on Friday.
Users complained they had been added as followers to official White House accounts after the transition, despite never following them before.
The accounts of @POTUS, @FLOTUS, @PressSec, @WhiteHouse and @VP were moved from Mr Obama’s team to Mr Trump's following the President's inauguration.
Twitter said it was investigating the issue and the company's support account acknowledged the problem.
"We continue to work on the investigation and fix for the @POTUS migration," it tweeted. "Stay tuned!"
Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s CEO, responded to a user who said she was leaving the social media site because of the issue and just said: “We are investigating”.
During the transition, all the official tweets from Mr Obama’s administration were moved to new accounts of @POTUS44, @VP44 and @FLOTUS44, allowing Mr Trump to start with no prior posts.
Those who were following @POTUS under Mr Obama will be automatically following his new accounts and also Mr Trump’s official accounts.
The President said he would continue to tweet from his personal account, which has almost seven million more followers than the official @POTUS handle.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments