From the chart above done by MC Marketing chart, they were able to obtain the statistics of user usage of the new media outlets where Twitter is the no.1 pick following by blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, Youtube and etc. Twitter, run by a small organization is facing problems with identity theft. In such cases whereby an impersonator created an account with the name Dalai Lama which gained over 20,000 followers within 2 days before Twitter found out about the fraud. Numerous accounts of stars and famous individuals have been made by imposters for reasons to defame or impersonate an individual. Therefore, Twitter relies on the person who has been misinterpreted to contact the company because it is impossible for Twitter to monitor such cases. Biz Stone the co-founder of Twitter encourages famous individuals to run their accounts themselves instead of micro-blogging.
According to the Fedaral Trade Commision in 2005, they received 255,565 consumer reports of identity theft an increase from the previous year of 8,718.
Jason Krause stated that criminals know their way to obtain information. With the widespread electronic sharing data and loose ends regulation and law has made the crime more destructive. Identity thieves often manage to steal millions of pieces of information from online sites, and they use the Internet to sell that information, make illegal purchases and obtain fraudulent loans. In extreme cases, the victims may feel that their own identities have practically disappeared under the onslaught of the theft. ( Jason Krausse 2006)
Fake Twitter entries can appear to be humorous and entertaining, but it can sometimes cause serious damage to a persons relationship and reputation. Many Companies and individual faces money and reputation lost due to malicious source or information. For example, the case on Miley Cyrus the famous star twitter was hacked by an anonymous hacker which posted twits such as “ I hate small kids” and “ I’m not your kids role model”. This caused defamation towards the star and made fans wonder was it the star herself twitting or was it a hacker.
How you can protect your twitter acount?
- Change your Password regularly
- Avoid visiting profile on Twitter.com
- Be wary about clicking shortened URLs
- Always log out your account after use
References
- Jason, K, 2006. Stolen Lives. ABA Journal [e-journal]. Available at: http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/stolen_lives/
- Twitter ID theft is not really a laughing matter. Best Identity Protection [online]. Available at: http://bestidentityprotection.net/twitter-id-theft-is-not-really-a-laughing-matter/
- Marketeers top social media.MC Marketing Chart [online]. Available at: http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/marketers-top-social-media-twitter-blogs-linkedin-facebook-8692/
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