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Cool. But to tweet, you need a Twitter account. And as I recall, Twitter pretty much demands verification through a mobile account. Do virtual mobile accounts

Cool. But to tweet, you need a Twitter account. And as I recall, Twitter pretty much demands verification through a mobile account. Do virtual mobile accounts typically work for it?

jonwinstanley 7y ago
Presumably this project is for just reading?
- mirimir 7y ago
  OK. But it seems like lots of work for just reading. And maybe I don't read enough to trigger roadblocks. Or maybe I just block enough stuff.
  - tjoff 7y ago
    It's barely possible to read a single tweet or thread without being logged in. If you don't block anything. Solution is of course to not use twitter.
    - 3xblah 7y ago
      If change/remove User-Agent header and disable Javascript, then can read single tweets and threads easily at mobile.twitter.com. No need to block anything.
- zedeus 7y ago
  Yes, but I do have some far future plans about utilizing the "Login with Twitter" authentication method to let people use the API on their behalf, which would allow making tweets etc.
  - mirimir 7y ago
    That would be very cool. The horrible interface is probably the main reason why I never got into Twitter. It's very hard to follow stuff, bercause it gets sorted in (for me) useless ways. Plus the fact that even generally interesting people retweet (or even tweet) some cringeworthy stuff.
adventured 7y ago
I've used Twilio numbers for this purpose in the recent past. Those work 100% of the time so far (assuming the number hasn't already been used). Many services seem to run checking on whether a number is really a mobile number or not. VK (the Russian social network) for one example is a zealot about that and won't let any Twilio numbers through. And Instagram is a lot tighter (better at fake account creation detection) on authentication than Twitter but you can still sign up for Instagram with just an email account in most cases.
- Eikon 7y ago
  Interestingly enough, Twilio provides an API just for this purpose: https://www.twilio.com/docs/lookup/api https://www.twilio.com/docs/lookup/api
- fulafel 7y ago
  Are twilio numbers pseudonymous or can they be reverse-looked-up? or does twilio give or sell this information out?
  - adventured 7y ago
    To get the individual user information for a Twilio number, given the short duration they might be attached to a given account, I highly suspect you have to go through Twilio for that info. That is, Twilio is likely to be the sole source for information on which account is attached to what number at a point in time. Obviously any consequential government authority in the US can then get that from Twilio, assuming the required judicial merchandise is presented. I'd be curious though to know if eg Twitter security sends a request over to Twilio (perhaps in a case of an account abuse investigation), if they'd cough up information very willingly. That I don't know. It's a certainty the government can get at it, however. The best bet is to do nothing illegal using a Twilio number, and to assume if a big external service provider (Twitter, Facebook, et al.) needs to get details for some legal reason, they will.
Nextgrid 7y ago
They will restore the account without a number if you raise a support ticket.
- mirimir 7y ago
  Huh. Didn't know that. Thanks. Maybe I'll try it.

Cool. But to tweet, you need a Twitter account. And as I recall, Twitter pretty much demands verification through a mobile account. Do virtual mobile accounts typically work for it?

jonwinstanley 7y ago

Presumably this project is for just reading?

mirimir 7y ago
OK. But it seems like lots of work for just reading. And maybe I don't read enough to trigger roadblocks. Or maybe I just block enough stuff.
- tjoff 7y ago
  It's barely possible to read a single tweet or thread without being logged in. If you don't block anything. Solution is of course to not use twitter.
  - 3xblah 7y ago
    If change/remove User-Agent header and disable Javascript, then can read single tweets and threads easily at mobile.twitter.com. No need to block anything.
zedeus 7y ago
Yes, but I do have some far future plans about utilizing the "Login with Twitter" authentication method to let people use the API on their behalf, which would allow making tweets etc.
- mirimir 7y ago
  That would be very cool. The horrible interface is probably the main reason why I never got into Twitter. It's very hard to follow stuff, bercause it gets sorted in (for me) useless ways. Plus the fact that even generally interesting people retweet (or even tweet) some cringeworthy stuff.

adventured 7y ago

I've used Twilio numbers for this purpose in the recent past. Those work 100% of the time so far (assuming the number hasn't already been used). Many services seem to run checking on whether a number is really a mobile number or not. VK (the Russian social network) for one example is a zealot about that and won't let any Twilio numbers through. And Instagram is a lot tighter (better at fake account creation detection) on authentication than Twitter but you can still sign up for Instagram with just an email account in most cases.

Eikon 7y ago
Interestingly enough, Twilio provides an API just for this purpose: https://www.twilio.com/docs/lookup/api https://www.twilio.com/docs/lookup/api
fulafel 7y ago
Are twilio numbers pseudonymous or can they be reverse-looked-up? or does twilio give or sell this information out?
- adventured 7y ago
  To get the individual user information for a Twilio number, given the short duration they might be attached to a given account, I highly suspect you have to go through Twilio for that info. That is, Twilio is likely to be the sole source for information on which account is attached to what number at a point in time. Obviously any consequential government authority in the US can then get that from Twilio, assuming the required judicial merchandise is presented. I'd be curious though to know if eg Twitter security sends a request over to Twilio (perhaps in a case of an account abuse investigation), if they'd cough up information very willingly. That I don't know. It's a certainty the government can get at it, however. The best bet is to do nothing illegal using a Twilio number, and to assume if a big external service provider (Twitter, Facebook, et al.) needs to get details for some legal reason, they will.

Nextgrid 7y ago

They will restore the account without a number if you raise a support ticket.

mirimir 7y ago
Huh. Didn't know that. Thanks. Maybe I'll try it.