All articles tagged with #fake account
A fake Instagram account under the username @tim.d.cook, believed to be Apple CEO Tim Cook's account, has been discovered. However, it has been confirmed that the account is not created by Cook. Despite this, the account was followed by some Apple VPs and employees. Apple is reportedly taking steps to have the account taken down.
Erica Marsh, a viral left-wing Twitter account known for its incendiary and hyper-political tweets, was revealed to be a fake account using the photo of a real Trump supporter named Courtney Ballesteros. The purpose behind the account remains unclear, but experts suggest it could be part of a disinformation campaign or for marketing purposes. The ease with which the account fooled people raises concerns about the spread of disinformation and the lack of a shared sense of reality. With social media platforms cutting back on staff to tackle disinformation, there are worries that more fake accounts like Erica Marsh could emerge in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Twitter mistakenly verified accounts of dead celebrities and living celebrities who didn't pay for it, claiming they subscribed to the $8-per-month Twitter Blue service. The blue checkmark now suggests that the account holder paid for the badge and verified their identities. Twitter also mistakenly awarded its gold verification badge to a fake Disney account that had posted racist slurs. The unpaid-for blue checkmarks are generally appearing on accounts with at least 1 million followers, and almost all accounts with more than 1 million followers were "gifted" a Twitter Blue subscription yesterday against their will.
A parody Twitter account that appeared to be related to MTV's show The Challenge was given a gold check mark, despite being unaffiliated with the network. The account posted violent videos and memes, and it is unknown how it received the verification. Twitter also suspended a fake Disney Junior account and gave a gold check mark to a far-right political party that was previously banned for hate speech.
A fake Disney Junior-branded Twitter account with the handle @DisneyJuniorUK has been suspended after receiving a gold tick from the social media platform. The account, which is completely unaffiliated with Disney, tweeted several offensive messages before being shut down. It is unknown how the holder got the gold tick, which is reserved for the official and verified accounts of businesses who pay $1,000 per month. Disney reps in the UK became aware of the fake account this morning and contacted counterparts at Twitter immediately. Several Twitter users spotted the apparent mistake, with some decrying the ongoing confusion over verification after Twitter removed and then reinstated several blue ticks over the weekend.