diff --git a/include/api.php b/include/api.php
index d1bd8a9abd..d097c8d669 100644
--- a/include/api.php
+++ b/include/api.php
@@ -986,7 +986,7 @@ function api_statuses_home_timeline($type)
 		}
 	}
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 
@@ -1057,7 +1057,7 @@ function api_statuses_public_timeline($type)
 	}
 	DBA::close($statuses);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -1105,7 +1105,7 @@ function api_statuses_networkpublic_timeline($type)
 	}
 	DBA::close($statuses);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -1452,7 +1452,7 @@ function api_statuses_mentions($type)
 	}
 	DBA::close($statuses);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -1516,7 +1516,7 @@ function api_statuses_user_timeline($type)
 	}
 	DBA::close($statuses);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -1583,7 +1583,7 @@ function api_favorites_create_destroy($type)
 
 	$ret = api_format_item($item, $type);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("status", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("status", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -1637,7 +1637,7 @@ function api_favorites($type)
 	}
 	DBA::close($statuses);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -2417,7 +2417,7 @@ function api_lists_statuses($type)
 	}
 	DBA::close($statuses);
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $items], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("statuses", $type, ['status' => $items], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -2653,7 +2653,7 @@ function api_direct_messages_new($type)
 		$ret = ["error" => $id];
 	}
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("direct-messages", $type, ['direct_message' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("direct-messages", $type, ['direct_message' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /// @TODO move to top of file or somewhere better
@@ -2896,7 +2896,7 @@ function api_direct_messages_box($type, $box, $verbose)
 		}
 	}
 
-	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("direct-messages", $type, ['direct_message' => $ret], Contact::createSelfFromUserId($uid));
+	return DI::apiResponse()->formatData("direct-messages", $type, ['direct_message' => $ret], Contact::getPublicIdByUserId($uid));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/Factory/Api/Twitter/User.php b/src/Factory/Api/Twitter/User.php
index c502e3830a..e545bd78cb 100644
--- a/src/Factory/Api/Twitter/User.php
+++ b/src/Factory/Api/Twitter/User.php
@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ class User extends BaseFactory
 			$userContact = [];
 		}
 
-		if (empty($publicContact)) {
-			return null;
-		}
-
 		$apcontact = APContact::getByURL($publicContact['url'], false);
 
 		return new \Friendica\Object\Api\Twitter\User($publicContact, $apcontact, $userContact, $skip_status, $include_user_entities);
diff --git a/src/Module/BaseApi.php b/src/Module/BaseApi.php
index 1d24e53b9d..c097a58269 100644
--- a/src/Module/BaseApi.php
+++ b/src/Module/BaseApi.php
@@ -329,9 +329,6 @@ class BaseApi extends BaseModule
 		}
 
 		$user_info = DI::twitterUser()->createFromContactId($cid)->toArray();
-		if (empty($user_info)) {
-			return $arr;
-		}
 
 		$arr['$user'] = $user_info;
 		$arr['$rss'] = [