A popular social media account that satirizes Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been suspended.
Richard Feren’s Twitter account @TOMayorFrod, which boasted thousands of followers, was suspended Wednesday after eight months online. The account is a parody of Toronto’s controversial mayor, who uses the handle @TOMayorFord on Twitter.
The social media service “didn’t send any warning or reason,” Feren said in a message on his personal Twitter account.
Twitter has a list of requirements on its website that provides operating rules for parody or fan accounts. Any pages must use a different avatar than the user being parodied, and the bio should include a statement to distinguish it, such as “Parody Account,” or “This is not affiliated with…”
Feren’s “Mayor Frod” account used the same avatar as the real account. The bio read “Official twitter account for Torotno Mayor Rob Frod. Tweets by Mayor Frod & staff.”
By comparison, the true Rob Ford’s account reads: “Personal twitter account for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford” and has a blue checkmark next to the handle, signalling it has been verified by the social media company.
In addition to the intentional mis-spellings, Feren said he’s spoken to city hall staff about the account, so he said it’s unlikely the mayor’s office filed a complaint.
“I have made my identity public for some time,” he wrote. “The account is legitimate satire.”
When Twitter receives a complaint, a representative will review the account using their parody policy, the company’s website. “An account that complies with our parody policy may not be found to be violating our trademark or impersonation policies.”
On Twitter, Feren wrote that he’s filed an appeal to find out why the account was suspended.
He also tweeted a link to a new parody account, @T0Mayorfrod, saying he had no connection to it.
Meanwhile, fans of the account have been tweeting their disappointment over the account’s suspension:
Dear @twitter, you are failing Toronto today. Free @tomayorfrod!! Suspend @tomayorford if you really want to help. #FreeFrod
— Stevie P. (@steviepeters) February 19, 2014
.@cinemaven @twitter the @TOMayorFrod account was more helpful during the ice storm than the actual mayor's. #TOpoli
— Kevin Montgomery (@kemosite) February 19, 2014
Hey @kirstinestewart, head of @TwitterCanada, please un-suspend the (nearly) award winning @TOMayorFrod account. Thanks! #topoli
— Ev Delen (@evdelen) February 19, 2014
I don't want to live in a city that doesn't have @TOmayorfrod around to help out.
— Norm Wilner (@wilnervision) February 19, 2014
@Twitter Free @TOMayorFrod from Twitmo! Send him home to us please! @RichardFeren #topoli
— Michelle Matthews (@Tymlee) February 19, 2014
Dear @twitter, it is a shame that you have silenced @TOMayorFrod. Satirical criticism rarely achieves such creative and illuminating quality
— Andrew Beeton (@AndrewBeeton) February 19, 2014