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Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

bbc.com

221–230 of 267 posts

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What sort of ethical framework permits this?

Some ethical frameworks deal in prohibiting/limiting behaviours rather than granting permission. One could argue this is even preferable. Interestingly, as a line of inquiry, it leads to having philosophical difficulties with the Bill of Rights.

So called "positive rights" and "negative rights[0]"

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_and_positive_rights

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#222
post #113

Meanwhile Twitter banned yet another political youtuber @SargonOfAkkad, doesn't seem like he did anything against Twitters ToS. Fed up with Twatter to be honest.

Yeah I watched a few of his videos on Youtube. He makes fun of feminists and sjws in his videos, so Twitter doesn't like that stuff and call it harassment or bullying or whatever.

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#223

I would imagine that it's possible that some of the people reading these comments might already know a lot more detail about Twitter/Facebook bots than this story goes into. Although you fine folks might remember me from a few other projects, I'm currently a Graphics Editor at The New York Times. We're actively curious and interested in pursuing lines of inquiry about this sort of behavior, and if any HN'ers have any…

I want to mention Reddit bots who copy user content to make karma and gain influence on Reddit. There is one kind that mostly copies images with karma in the 1.000s and repost them with the same title a year or two later. To appear more legit these bots also copy user comments and post them to /r/askreddit in threads that are similar named but most often not exactly the same as the original post. I suspect that often…

And bots that take twitter videos and post a streamable mirror? It seems similar enough that it would be on topic.

How do they sit with you? As videos on twitter don't seem to work at all, it's a great service, imo.

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#224
post #207
post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I wouldn't dismiss the chance that some of these people are fakes I would like to point out that despite being a techie (if not because of it?) I barely use Facebook anymore and if I hadn't been registered for a long time my Facebook profile would also be pretty barren. I also always had a policy of only "friending" people I know personally and privately. The only purpose of Facebook for me is keeping up with t…

My Facebook account is so barren that it has never existed, but if I'm ever forced to create an account to deal with websites that assume everyone has a FB acct and can't deal with you otherwise, it will be as sterile as I can make it. And my Twitter account is so sterile that no one I know follows me. And yet, it's a real account.

The thing is, do you have only 5-10 FB Friends with eerily similar sterile accounts in a little-self contained social graph? Have you added a college to your profile, but have no Friends from that college?

I've got a fake FB account for the same reason you describe, and I don't bother go to the efffort of puttiing in the sorts of fake details that these accounts have.

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#225

I would imagine that it's possible that some of the people reading these comments might already know a lot more detail about Twitter/Facebook bots than this story goes into. Although you fine folks might remember me from a few other projects, I'm currently a Graphics Editor at The New York Times. We're actively curious and interested in pursuing lines of inquiry about this sort of behavior, and if any HN'ers have any…

I want to mention Reddit bots who copy user content to make karma and gain influence on Reddit. There is one kind that mostly copies images with karma in the 1.000s and repost them with the same title a year or two later. To appear more legit these bots also copy user comments and post them to /r/askreddit in threads that are similar named but most often not exactly the same as the original post. I suspect that often…

Farm karma, then sell the accounts to political operatives, etc.

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#227
post #224
post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Facebook account is so barren that it has never existed, but if I'm ever forced to create an account to deal with websites that assume everyone has a FB acct and can't deal with you otherwise, it will be as sterile as I can make it. And my Twitter account is so sterile that no one I know follows me. And yet, it's a real account.

The thing is, do you have only 5-10 FB Friends with eerily similar sterile accounts in a little-self contained social graph? Have you added a college to your profile, but have no Friends from that college? I've got a fake FB account for the same reason you describe, and I don't bother go to the efffort of puttiing in the sorts of fake details that these accounts have.

[deleted]

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#228
post #224
post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Facebook account is so barren that it has never existed, but if I'm ever forced to create an account to deal with websites that assume everyone has a FB acct and can't deal with you otherwise, it will be as sterile as I can make it. And my Twitter account is so sterile that no one I know follows me. And yet, it's a real account.

The thing is, do you have only 5-10 FB Friends with eerily similar sterile accounts in a little-self contained social graph? Have you added a college to your profile, but have no Friends from that college? I've got a fake FB account for the same reason you describe, and I don't bother go to the efffort of puttiing in the sorts of fake details that these accounts have.

I'd like to see that for myself. Can you find any examples now?

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#229
post #86

I would imagine that it's possible that some of the people reading these comments might already know a lot more detail about Twitter/Facebook bots than this story goes into. Although you fine folks might remember me from a few other projects, I'm currently a Graphics Editor at The New York Times. We're actively curious and interested in pursuing lines of inquiry about this sort of behavior, and if any HN'ers have any…

Semi-related aside, but fun: Every April Fool's Day I love to mess with family members. A (hypothetically) good effort:effect ratio I have found is Craigslist: Go into some large city's section (NYC, Austin, Sf, etc) and put up a listing for a 'free xbone' or a 'free PSS1', or something similarly typo'd. Explain that you are giving your kids' Xbone away because of a failing grade, you are moving overseas, your boyfri…

I guess people downvote you because your hack is a social one and not a technical one :P

Re: Massive networks of fake accounts found on Twitter

#230
post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is, do you have only 5-10 FB Friends with eerily similar sterile accounts in a little-self contained social graph? Have you added a college to your profile, but have no Friends from that college? I've got a fake FB account for the same reason you describe, and I don't bother go to the efffort of puttiing in the sorts of fake details that these accounts have.

I'd like to see that for myself. Can you find any examples now?

Look for [redacted]. It's an obvious fake, but you can go down the rabbit hole from there.

*I hope you got the name. I've redacted it for obvious reasons.

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