Did you know that your tweets are fed through APIs to ANYONE who wants to use the  APIs?

I do close monitoring of “PokaPaloma” and my Twitter content keeps ending up on websites that 1) I have no affiliation with and 2) that I never gave permission to use my tweets.  The website owners are using the Tweets as a quick way to load the website with “fresh” content.

In order to stop my tweets from being fed, I had to change my settings to private – share only with my “followers” – and that impedes communication and the growth of my Twitter community. Now anyone who wants to “follow” me – has to be approved by me. Really, that’s not my personality, I don’t need that much control.

I just want my tweets to be Public to all Tweeters and NOT be duplicated on other people’s websites without my permission.

Why can’t Twitter have an option where I can be Private to the World and Public to the Twitter Community? I started a Suggestion in the Tweetdeck Services area: Please click the link and vote to keep your tweets PRIVATE by encouraging Twitter to add this option:

http://bit.ly/2yG4F1

Note: Changing my settings to Private made the PokaPaloma on Twitter on the right display a Twitter Login dialogue box to all my visitors, so I had to change my Twitter profile back to Public.

This is to follow up on my previous post about websites syphoning data from poker websites like PokerStars.  I play at PokerStars, so, inquired with them as to what they are doing about it.

First, let’s note that PokerStars’ staff is very responsive. Each time I have sent an inquiry, I have received a response within 24 hours, and the response makes sense. It is to the point and answers the question.

Okay, so, when asked what PokerStars is doing about this poker data syphoning situation, I received a reply from a member of the PokerStars Game Security Team. I was assured that they are working on the situation and that things are being put into place…

…we have a schedule of forthcoming improvements that are gradually being released each month to stop these kinds of programs.

I am satisfied that PokerStars is working on it.

I have not played a cash game since finding out about poker data syphoning. I wonder if this will be enough to make me feel comfortable.

Okay… Just when you think you can sit quietly in your own home and enjoy an hour or two of poker… The poker data syphoners are sucking the tournament results out, compiling the information, building profiles and creating stats for all the poker players they can.

This may be okay and even helpful for “real” players, but, for a beginner like me… I think it is disgusting. There is no need for anyone other than me and PokerStars to know what I do with my time, how little I spend, how infrequently I win. Of course, I’m working on improving my skills, but, even when that happens, it is no one’s business but my own.  

I am in communication with PokerStars now to find out what they are doing to preclude the automated programs from syphoning the data.  I’ll let you know when I have an answer.

PokerStars gave me a list of “compliant” websites – websites that have an “opt out” option for players like myself who don’t wish to be included.  Okay… so the first site I go to… NOOOO opt out option “at this time”.

I’m not on the circuit. I’m not a celebrity. My information should be kept private! 

What’s your opinion?