It's 2017 and Twitter's Arab Spring euphoria is long over.
We've traded Gamergate for Pizzagate. Trump uses his account as a literal bully pulpit. Journalists receive death threats in 140 characters (well, now 280). Leslie Jones has been forced to perform double duty as a troll buster. And even Twitter co-founder Biz Stone struggles to get neo-Nazis booted.
For those of us without millions of followers, relief can seem more elusive still.
You can send in reports, but many go unanswered. Other times overt abuses are deemed OK. When Twitter does respond, their updates can be misleading.
MuckTweet helps keep you in the loop.
Whenever you report a user or tweet on Twitter.com, the MuckTweet browser extension makes a record. It then automatically checks the site for updates on that report—no extra work needed on your part.
What does MuckTweet track? MuckTweet tracks reports that you personally make on Twitter.com. It stores information about your reports in your Chrome browser and periodically checks to see if action has been taken (i.e. a tweet is removed or a user account is suspended, deleted, or restored).
Where does MuckTweet store my information? By default, all information about your reports is stored locally on your own computer. You have the option of backing up reported tweets and user profiles to the Internet Archive for later reference. This can be helpful if you need evidence to bring to authorities. Otherwise, MuckTweet does not send your information anywhere or to anyone.
Why would I use MuckTweet if Twitter already sends me notifications about my reports? 1. Twitter can take a long time to reply, by which time you may have forgotten the details of your report.
2. Automatic caching of reported tweets and profiles ensures that you have evidence to show authorities, if need be.
3. Updates from Twitter can be misleading, falsely implying a user has been suspended or a tweet removed.
4. MuckTweet provides summary statistics about how Twitter responds to your reports. You can also download the raw data.
How often does MuckTweet check for updates? Report statuses are updated every day that you visit Twitter.com.
Can I use MuckTweet with other Twitter platforms, like TweetDeck? No, MuckTweet only tracks reports you make on Twitter.com (i.e. the main Twitter site).
I have multiple Twitter accounts. Will MuckTweet track reports I make from each of them? As long as you make all your reports on the same computer and browser, MuckTweet will treat them as though they came from the same user. So, yes.
You can contact mucktweet at gmail dot com with additional questions.
Found a bug? You can send a report using this form or create an issue in the GitHub repository.
I'll do my best to resolve it in a timely manner. Keep in mind that MuckTweet is free. I'm not being paid to make or maintain it.
It would be really nice if you sent a donation.