Have you ever wondered how Edgar Allan Poe who died in 1849 @Edgar_Allan_Poe, could be updating his twitter status? Maybe you’ve stopped to question if God, @god, got himself the new iphone so that he could stay up to date with all his twitter followers? Ever stop to ponder how impressive it is that even while the United States of America, President Barack Obama finds the top to actively update his countless twitter accounts? Probably not. Just as each of us eventually wises up to the age-old trick and realizes gullible is never written on the ceiling, most of us have accepted that anyone can register a iconic user name without in fact being that superstar.
What twitter users may be less aware of is how, just like with celebrity names, brand names and trademarks can be forged and imitation twitter accounts can easily resemble real companies. Unfortunately, these fraudulent accounts have the potential to do real damage to company profits, especially if these accounts are registered by business competitors.
For anyone familiar with the cybersquatting scams of the late 90s, this new wave of internet shams seems all too recurrent. However, unlike cybersquatting which was banned by the 1999 law which trademark owners the right to sue cybersquatters, imitation twitter user names are not covered by any regulations. While twitter policy prohibits any unofficial uses of trademarks, the social network has no successful means of screening potential impostors.
This has left companies to fend for themselves. In some instances, businesses are taken preventative measures, and registering all possible user names that could be associated with their brand. Others are pursuing pretend accounts as they occur or publicly denouncing impostor accounts. Just recently Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, stars of High School Musical, went on the record to say that neither of them had registered twitter accounts and that any and all accounts under their names were fakes.
Twitter is beginning to address the problem of “impersonation and identity confusion” Twitter is testing a ‘Verified Account’ feature, currently in beta stages. The feature aims to clarify which accounts are known to be “authentic,” implying that someone the Twitter staff has been “in contact with the person or entity the account is representing and verified that it is approved.” Of the copious accounts claiming to represent the American President only one has the blue check of verification, @BarackObama. Cleveland Cavaliers fans can stay current with their newest player’s status @THE_REAL_SHAQ, where a twitter-verified Shaquille O’Neal stays current with followers.
As the problem of fraudulent company accounts continues to escalate, it may become too large of an issue to ignore and Twitter’s senior management may find they have to address the issue differently. But until that happens, if you come across a business or celebrity account and want to know if its legitimate or counterfeit, here are a few ideas:
1. Visit the company’s official homepage (most celebrity figures have these as well), and look to see if they provide a link to a twitter account. This same procedure can be done for Facebook accounts.
2. Look at the tweets and updates. If they are more professional (or even routine), it’s more likely to be a real account.
3. Look to see who the “company” is following. Companies and businesses will tend to follow similar accounts within their field.