After tweeting through its account since 2018, Splinterlands, a blockchain-based NFT trading card game, has been banned from the service permanently as social media giant Twitter refuses to respond to appeals.

Suspension Coincides With Twitter Unveiling its Own NFTs

While the hype surrounding non-fungible tokens (NFT) may have subsided, there is still plenty of controversy. Twitter is the latest victim in this scandal.

Although Jack Dorsey warmly embraced the NFT movement after auctioning off his very first tweet in NFT form, the platform’s recent decision to suspend blockchain-based gaming operator Splinterlands has embroiled the social media platform in a fresh censorship debate.

Splinterlands is a platform that allows gamers to trade, collect and battle with rare NFT tokens. It was one of the first companies to adopt the unique characteristics non-fungible tokens. The company’s Twitter account was suspended from the platform on June 23rd for no discernible reason. This was done without explanation or warning.

There is speculation that Splinterlands was suspended because of violating Twitter policies regarding selling illegal or certain regulated products or services. This includes the sale, purchase, or facilitation of transactions in illegal goods and services as well as certain types .”

regulated goods or service.

The violation is not clear because the company is not a financial platform and is not a gaming platform. It also does not operate secondary markets for collectibles. This oversight is done by the community. It is difficult to determine if they were responsible, considering the number of accounts that engage in similar practices.

Already, Splinterlands has lodged multiple appeals to reverse the suspension, with a cryptic message arriving on June 30th from Twitter explaining that the suspension would be permanent and that further appeals would be ignored.

The Not-So-Elegant Timing of the Twitter Suspension

Though entirely speculative, Chris Roberts, Splinterlands’ Content Director, pointed out the troublesome timing in a post published on Peakd. The company’s account ban corresponded with a same-day decision by Twitter to unveil its lineup of NFTs for sale to its 60 million followers, making the suspension either a little suspect or tone-deaf.

@CryptoStache You seeing this!? #freesplinterlands https://t.co/zPQXnVKJdt

— Outside The Vox Thinking (@OutsideVox) June 30, 2021

There are also questions about whether Twitter is using its position to dominate other NFT players and launch its product “as” Amazon to take out all formidable competition. Chris Roberts, Splinterlands, believes it to be censorship. This highlights the need for more censorship resistant platforms like Peakd and Hive Blockchain.

Since Splinterlands is a Hive user and tweeted about the latest token pairings that morning, there are concerns that Hive Blockchain’s censorship-resistant properties could be under attack from social media giants. This could be similar to other platforms that have had their hosting or other services cancelled by tech giants. This is especially true given Twitter’s history with evicting accounts without warning.

However, the lack of concrete evidence makes this connection difficult to prove. While no new developments have emerged since the suspension notification received on the 30th and amid an absence of clarification from Twitter, questions continue to shroud the motives behind the social giant’s move and whether it was justified.

In the meantime, the hashtag #freesplinterlands circulates through Twitter. The community is taking up the cause and fighting back against an unfair suspension. Marketsquare selected Splinterlands as its game of the month to bring more attention to this issue for its followers.

Congratulations to Splinterlands for being named our Game of the Month for July! https://t.co/Za1rxD5yTo#Splinterlands #hive #blockchain #marketsquare pic.twitter.com/SghpQpmK6o

— MarketSquare (@HelloMSQ) July 1, 2021

What do you think of Twitter’s decision to permanently suspend Splinterlands’ account? Comment below to let us know your thoughts about Twitter’s decision to permanently suspend Splinterlands’ account.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Splinterlands via Peakd

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