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Florida Firm Sells Twitter Followers and Bots That Retweet Celebrities, Executives, and 'Influencers' (nytimes.com)

Posted by msmash on from the big-expose dept.

Over the weekend, The New York Times published an expose on an obscure American company called Devumi that sells Twitter followers and bots that automatically retweet celebrities, executives, social media "influencers" and anyone else who will pay. From the report: Devumi sells Twitter followers and retweets to celebrities, businesses and anyone who wants to appear more popular or exert influence online. Drawing on an estimated stock of at least 3.5 million automated accounts, each sold many times over, the company has provided customers with more than 200 million Twitter followers, a New York Times investigation found. The accounts that most resemble real people reveal a kind of large-scale social identity theft. At least 55,000 of the accounts use the names, profile pictures, hometowns and other personal details of real Twitter users, including minors, according to a Times data analysis.

[...] The actor John Leguizamo has Devumi followers. So do Michael Dell, the computer billionaire, and Ray Lewis, the football commentator and former Ravens linebacker. Kathy Ireland, the onetime swimsuit model who today presides over a half-billion-dollar licensing empire, has hundreds of thousands of fake Devumi followers, as does Akbar Gbajabiamila, the host of the show "American Ninja Warrior." Even a Twitter board member, Martha Lane Fox, has some. Hours after the report was published, New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, opened an investigation into Devumi. "Impersonation and deception are illegal under New York law," Mr. Schneiderman said. "We're opening an investigation into Devumi and its apparent sale of bots using stolen identities."

5 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Twitter ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... is a depressing rabbit hole.

    I recommend we don't scrape the slime off.

    Let it fester in a vacuum.

    It's public masturbatory narcissism.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    1. Re:Twitter ... by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Demand side is largely Pussy Hat wearing or Sean Hannity watching idiots. Known by the term "average Americans'. What we need are a few Elites to tell us what we need to know, like perhaps, CNN and the NYT!

      (Please note, the post is filled with all sorts of sarcasm and ad hominem to the point of being reductio ad absurdum)

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  2. Re:Wait, what? by ArhcAngel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Exaggerating (Lying) in journalism is protected by law.

    --
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
  3. Polocies by g01d4 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Many of the accounts identified by The Times appear to violate Twitter s own policies, but remained active on the social media platform for years, each retweeting and promoting Devumi customers.

    (Emphasis mine) If a company has policies it can't adequately enforce it should be held liable for, at minimum, false advertising. Either enforce the policies or abandon them. Enforcing policies only when it suits them commercially should fail any test of adequate enforcement.

  4. Did anyone not know this ? by RedK · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Next up : You can buy Reddit upvotes and Facebook likes. Sky is blue, more at 11.

    --
    "Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
    Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM