Twitter suspends 70 pro-Bloomberg accounts

Twitter suspended 70 accounts that posted content favorable to Michael Bloomberg, the Democratic nomination contestant who hired hundreds of people to promote him in social circles during his campaign. "We have taken action against a group of accounts for breaking our rules against manipulation and spamming on the platform," said a spokesperson for Twitter. The information was first revealed by the Los Angeles Times . According to Twitter, some accounts are now banned while others can be re-authorized once the people concerned have proven that they are in control of their account.

The team of the billionaire and ex-mayor of New York confirmed last week to collaborate on social networks with content creators, in particular humorous, to promote a relaxed image. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) further revealed on Wednesday that the candidate's campaign is hiring hundreds of people in California, paid $ 2,500 a month, to regularly post messages of support and send text messages to their friends.

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According to the WSJ, the 500 or so "digital representatives" already hired must work between 20 and 30 hours per week. They can use Outvote, an application to send pre-written messages, post content on networks and send data back to the campaign team. According to the financial daily, this investment, which could cost millions of dollars, is made in the run-up to Super Tuesday, March 3, where 14 states will vote, but it can be extended to the rest of the country.

This technique, which blurs the boundaries between political advertisements and messages from ordinary activists or sympathizers, does not work very well on networks that have been trying for months to frame election campaigns on their platforms and to prevent abuses. According to Twitter, the suspended accounts contravened this network rule: "You cannot amplify or disrupt conversations artificially, using multiple accounts (...) in particular to post duplicate content or create fake engagement "

Read also: Democratic debate: poor performance for Bloomberg, Sanders confirms his status as favorite

The American press reports that Facebook also plans to react to Michael Bloomberg's campaign methods. The social media giant allows political ads - unlike Twitter - but it could ensure that those paid to show their support are clearly identified as such.

Michael Bloomberg is already breaking advertising spending records in this campaign with more than $ 340 million spent in three months.