Thousands of Twitter users who run several accounts to spread identical messages, may not be able to do so, Twitter Inc said on Wednesday.

The new announcement means that people will no longer be allowed to post identical messages from multiple accounts, cracking down on a tactic that make most Kenyans make a tweet, hashtag or topic go viral.

In a statement to the press, Twitter also added that it would not allow people to use software to simultaneously perform other actions such as liking or retweeting from multiple accounts, Reuters reported Thursday.

“These changes are an important step in ensuring we stay ahead of malicious activity targeting the crucial conversations taking place on Twitter - including elections around the world,” Mr Yoel Roth, Twitter’s Policy Team leader said in a statement.

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On Wednesday, hundreds of Twitter users thronged the social with the hash tag #TwitterLockout to castigate the move by the social media channel, protesting the suspension of hundreds of accounts.

The BBC on Wednesday reported of massive accounts shutdown, in what Twitter termed as a crackdown on malicious accounts.

“Dozens of users report having had their accounts suspended until they provided a telephone number which they then had to verify, to prove they were real.

Some members have raised concerns about their amount of lost followers, and claimed discrimination against right-wing political beliefs,” the London based media reported.

Worst hit

The most hit with the new strategy could be new media publishers and celebrity, commonly social media influencers, as they tweet with similar message across various accounts.

Twitter said it would give users until March 23 to comply before suspending accounts. It made an exception for bots of broad interest such as earthquake alerts.

Medium said it would not discuss individual accounts, but a recent rule change banned people from spreading “disinformation.”

The new changes by Twitter comes barely a month after Facebook  overhauled how it ranks the posts, videos and photos that appear in its users’ News Feeds.

This means that as a Facebook user, you’ll see more posts from friends that have spurred lively debates in the comments. And you’ll see fewer cooking videos from brands and publications.