Admin June 29th, 2009

A search for “Barack Obama” on Twitter turns up who-knows-how-many imposters posing as the President. Most of them are easy to spot. And that’s to be expected-unfortunate though it may be. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn-all the networks have the same predicament. Twitter, thankfully, has been able to shut down most fakers, although the problem still creeps up now and then.

Also unfortunate is the rise of company imposters on Twitter. Companies are finding that Twitter is not just a helpful network for keeping up with friends. It’s a powerful tool for informing the market. But fraudulent accounts, created by people with a penchant for meddling, still abound. The consequences are potentially devastating. A rogue Twitter user, Tweeting under the guise of a certain company can Tweet false or embarrassing information, recommendations to purchase from a competitor, or other equally damaging information.

It’s a problem that Twitter is well aware of, and not taking lightly. After the proliferation of non-Kayne West accounts and the forthcoming profanity-laced brouhaha of the real Kayne West, Twitter proved it wants to help. Even the Tony la Russa ruckus was professionally handled by Twitter. Now, Twitter is responding to fake user requests within record time, confirming celebrity users, and bumping off users posing as companies or celebrities.

Although Twitter does not currently have a mechanism for verifying user’s legitimacy, such a program may role out this summer. Biz Stone, who helped found the social networking site, is taking the brunt of the pain for all the fake users. He wrote, “Impersonation violates Twitter’s Terms of Service and we take the issue seriously. We suspend, delete, or transfer control of accounts known to be impersonation.”

While Twitter will “be experimenting with a beta preview of what we’re calling Verified Accounts this summer” impersonators of both companies and personalities may continue. Meanwhile, you may have good reason to wonder if your favorite company starts telling you to shop at the competitor.

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