Twitter will no longer allow the use of animated PNG files (APNGs) on its platform. The decision comes after an attack on the Epilepsy Foundation’s Twitter account sent out similar animated images that could potentially cause seizures in photosensitive people.
Twitter had discovered a bug that enables users to bypass its autoplay settings, and allow several animated images in a single tweet using the APNG file format.
The company in a tweet from Twitter Accessibility handle says, “We want everyone to have a safe experience on Twitter.
“APNGs were fun, but they don’t respect autoplay settings, so we’re removing the ability to add them to Tweets. This is for the safety of people with sensitivity to motion and flashing imagery, including those with epilepsy.”
The company also said it won’t remove existing APNG images from the platform but only GIFs will be able to animate images moving forward.
Yahoo also reports that Twitter has further clarified that APNG files were not used to target the Epilepsy Foundation, but the bug meant such files could have been used to do so in the future had Twitter not moved to squash it.
Just last month, trolls attacked the Epilepsy Foundation’s Twitter handle during National Epilepsy Awareness Month. The trolls used the foundation’s hashtags and Twitter handle commemorating the special event to post animated images with strobing light effects.
The figures of those affected by the attack have not been confirmed, nevertheless, the foundation said it’s cooperating with law enforcement officials and has filed criminal complaints against accounts believed to have been involved.
Twitter said yesterday it will “look into building a similar feature that’s better for you and your Twitter experience” in lieu of APNGs.
