This is textbook spam and I'm glad they were banned. It doesn't matter how engaging or targeted your content is, sending automated, unsolicited messages to someone through any medium is spam.
Also, the headline is pure linkbait. There was no hacking of Twitter. Simple standard search and tweet API calls are not hacking.
Also, the headline is pure linkbait. There was no hacking of Twitter. Simple standard search and tweet API calls are not hacking.