Earlier this week, ARMY discovered that the official BTS WORLD Twitter account was suspended.
??? pic.twitter.com/jyvgqoVbVS
— tata mic⁷ (@itstatamic) November 14, 2021
It turned out that there was a much more serious issue underlying.
Not only had the members’ shared BTS account previously been targeted with selfies being taken down due to “copyright strikes,” but many fan accounts’ profile pictures and headers were disappearing too due to the same problem. And, it’s been happening for some time now.
Who reported my icon ?!?!?? It’s my own profile pic ?!? I created it @Twitter pic.twitter.com/PokrENRigg
— ⟭⟬♡ (@BTSupdate_7) October 13, 2021
The ones behind this unjustified report was Team Copyright, self-identified as “Bangelidishi cyber security researchers.” They are on a mission to report any BTS-related social media accounts.
According to Team Copyright’s Facebook page, they are a non-profit organization working “for a clean cyberspace.” They hope to remove “adult and atheist” content online. Their motivation to get BTS-related accounts removed is due to the “promotion” of atheism, equality, and homosexuality.
When ARMYs realized what was really going on, everyone banded together to get Twitter involved in the matter. Many users tweeted, tagging @Twitter, @TwitterSupport, and @TwitterSafety, among other accounts.
@Twitter @TwitterSupport @TwitterSafety
You NEED to protect @btschartdata @BTS_Trans
& other users. YOU NEED TO FIX your broken DMCA request process. You allowed threat actors to exploit your loophole. @HYBEOFFICIALtwt @BIGHIT_MUSIC@bts_bighit @EFF @SwiftOnSecurity Plz help! pic.twitter.com/q5JTyPxP2I— Min Yoonji⁷ ?️? ? (@codingpoetry) November 17, 2021
After a day, it seemed like ARMYs’ hard work finally paid off. One of the accounts that Team Copyright had attacked, @btschartdata, shared with their followers a message they received from Twitter, revealing that the DMCA notices are, in fact, being investigated.
? pic.twitter.com/a7ePmGvnB7
— BTS Charts (@btschartdata) November 19, 2021
Likewise, BTS WORLD has finally returned. The account is no longer suspended, although it should never have been in the first place.
While BTS WORLD and @btschartdata’s DMCA notices were investigated and found to be invalid, there are still many accounts like @BTSupdate_7 who have yet to receive such a positive message from Twitter. In fact, @BTSupdate_7 has been one of the ARMY accounts that have been targeted by Team Copyright continually for a while.
How?!?!?? Ahhh ??? I want this email also !!!! https://t.co/H7HG2js2vP
— ⟭⟬♡ (@BTSupdate_7) November 19, 2021
Last month, her profile picture and header were removed multiple times due to claims of infringement despite that she created the images herself. Followers even attempted to find solutions by creating alternatives too. Yet, nothing worked, so she had to use solid purple images instead.
Who reported my icon ?!?!?? It’s my own profile pic ?!? I created it @Twitter pic.twitter.com/PokrENRigg
— ⟭⟬♡ (@BTSupdate_7) October 13, 2021
Hopefully, Twitter is continuing to investigate the DMCA notices as this is much more serious than just a missing profile photo. Work is certainly not done yet.
Okay, now that the DMCA notices are being deemed invalid, it must mean that the copyright claim was fraudulent and made in bad faith.@Twitter per your copyright policy, there should be legal and financial consequences for those who make fraudulent claims, right? https://t.co/LT0reyErUK
— 제시⁷ ? (@jessikatsu) November 19, 2021
I prefer the former, but I’m not opposed to the latter if no one will help us and actually report this sht.
— Miche⁷ (@MicheBangtan) November 17, 2021
Team Copyright shared an update recently because they know that that ARMYs are onto them now. They attempted to justify their actions, claiming they were just against “toxic fans.”
They even alleged to have formed some kind of alliance with “BTS fanbase leaders” in order to find and remove only the “toxic fanbase” rather than ARMY in general. Of course, ARMYs were not buying this.
So, ARMYs just gave Team Copyright a taste of their own medicine. As of November 19, their Facebook page has been seemingly removed.
OMG GUYS!!!! THE facebook page named “TEAM COPYRIGHT” is gone!! ?? WE WON!! pic.twitter.com/QnTTQs2uWY
— Nuv⁷??Taehyung Misser!? (@TaesHipThrust) November 19, 2021
This, unfortunately, is an issue that is not just online. Bangladeshi ARMYs have reported facing threats in person too. So, international ARMYs are attempting to spread awareness by trending “#EndViolence,” one of the hashtags from BTS’s UNICEF Love Myself campaign.
⚠️ trigger warning ⚠️
Please be extremely careful as this is a serious matter that may require the authorities to intervene. WE STAND WITH BANGLADESH ARMYS AND ALL YOUNG WOMEN BEING HARASSED EVERYDAY.#EndViolence https://t.co/udApoquQno
— keep strugglin (slow) (@keepstrugglin_) November 19, 2021
“I want to hear your voice. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak yourself.” ㅡ 180924, Kim Namjoon UNGA Speech
WE STAND WITH BANGLADESH ARMY #EndViolence pic.twitter.com/fOktIfJehb
— BTS Quotes Archive⁷ (@btsqtsarchive) November 19, 2021
Nobody should be afraid of having hobbies&doing harmless things that make them happy.Nobody should be able to take that freedom from you
Many army from Bangladesh encountered violence(verbal,physical,emotional etc) online&offline
I hope authorities’ll do something#EndViolence
— Nicolle⁷ (semi ia) (@EgosShadow7) November 19, 2021
it’s so upsetting to hear that people are willing to do horrible things to people just because of the music they’re listening to. praying for the safety of Bangladesh ARMYS. #EndViolence
— hourly bts concerts (@btsconcerthrs) November 19, 2021
Related phrases like “STAND WITH BANGLADESH ARMY” and the hashtag “#TwitterMaliciousDMCA” are all trending along with “#EndViolence” too as of November 19.
We are so thankful to every ARMY all around the world for supporting us.
No one deserves harassment and bullying. We hope the situation will be better and safe for BD ARMYs soon. Stay strong #BDARMYs ?STAND WITH BANGLADESH ARMY ??#EndViolence pic.twitter.com/qGIMYNUt8b
— ᴾᵀᴰBTS ARMY Of Bangladesh⁷ (@officialbts_bd)??? (@OfficialBTSBD) November 19, 2021
No one deserves to be attacked for something, particularly for liking any K-Pop group. This should be a safe space for everyone.
To the actual Bangladeshi armys who are victims and have experienced situations against them and are fighting to bring awareness I’m praying for yall so much. I’m so sorry someone tried to get clout off of something like this ????
— Nana⁷ is Yoonkooks 4eva Wife (@YOONGIS_HH) November 19, 2021
What I shared on yesterday’s space was the truth of what young women are going through here in BD.
The fact that my words were used to manipulate truth heavily seats on my heart. I shared a vulnerable truth and it was wrongly used. I have no words.#EndViolence #ProtectBDArmys
— ᴾᵀᴰBTS ARMY Of Bangladesh⁷ (@officialbts_bd)??? (@OfficialBTSBD) November 19, 2021
Hopefully, the situation will be resolved quickly and surely, and every ARMY will be safe.
You can read more about the situation below:
BTS WORLD Official Twitter Account Is Suspended, Here’s Why
BTS
Koreaboo
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