Blunder that made Twitter temporarily lock NTV's account with 4.3 million followers

Nation Media Group Managing Editor in charge of Audiences & Engagement Oliver Mathenge as explained why NTV's Twitter account was temporary locked on Wednesday, May 10.

According to Mathenge, the lockout was a result of a mistake made while setting up the account's date of birth.

In an effort to access the latest features and monetization options offered by Twitter, the account was erroneously set up with a date of birth that was less than 13 years prior to the account's creation in 2009.

This mistake triggered Twitter's automated security system, which temporarily locked the account for verification purposes.

"Our Terms of Service require everyone who uses Twitter to be 13 or older, and we have determined that you did not meet the minimum age requirement at the time this account was created," Twitter informed the media house.

NTV was able to fix the error and restore the account which was back online on Thursday, May 11.

On Wednesday, evening, a search for NTV's verified official Twitter handled returned an error saying "This account doesn't exist".

According to Twitter, such an error occurs when the account is either deactivated or suspended.

Error message returned after searching for NTV Kenya's Twitter account Error message returned after searching for NTV Kenya's Twitter account Pulse Live Kenya

"If there is no account at that URL, the username is most likely attached to a deactivated or suspended account," Twitter's support website reads in part.

Many Kenyans expressed their surprise and confusion on social media after the recent developments.

The account is a crucial platform for NTV to engage with its audience, share breaking news updates, and promote its programs and events.

READ: Nightmare for Kenyan media after Twitter removed their verification badges

Losing a Twitter account with millions of followers is a significant setback for any media company, as it can affect their ability to connect with their audience and expand their reach.

Twitter has become a crucial tool for media organizations to share news updates and engage with their viewers in real-time.

Twitter has been labeling several news organizations as "Government-funded Media," which they say inaccurately compares them to state-owned outlets in other countries.CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images Business Insider USA

Losing such a massive following can have a significant impact on the broadcaster's online presence.

READ: Do you suck at Twitter? Here are tips to see better results

In February, the station has a similar experience with its YouTube page which has over 2 million subscribers.

A notice on the station’s YouTube channel at the time read: “NTV Kenya has been terminated because we received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted.”

However the media house was able to recover the YouTube channel.