The underground economy of social networks

[Newsjock]

http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=13380

In a new study, Barracuda Labs analyzed a random sampling of more than 70,000 fake Twitter accounts that are being used to sell fake Twitter followers.

They also analyzed some of the people that are using such fake followers including the recent example of U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Twitter account.

Between Facebook’s 10-Q filing stating that 83 million of its accounts are fake, to Mitt Romney’s Twitter account recently falling under scrutiny for suspicious followings, fake social network profiles are a hot topic at the moment. And these fake profiles are at the center of a very vibrant and growing underground economy.

... The results of the analysis closely fit the “fake user” profile and allow the assumption that most of these recent followers of Mitt Romney are not from a general Twitter population but most likely from a paid Twitter follower service.