How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Twitterbot 54
An anonymous reader writes Have you ever wondered what it is like to have your online identity hijacked and replaced with a Russian-speaking Bruce Willis impostor? Here's a lesson in online impersonation from Passcode, The Christian Science Monitor's soon-to-launch section on security and privacy in the digital age. From the article: "Weeks prior, I changed my handle from @SaraSorcherNJ to the simpler @SaraSorcher when I left my job at National Journal covering national security to join The Christian Science Monitor to help lead our new section on, somewhat ironically considering the situation, security and privacy. Apparently within days of that change, someone - or a bot - had taken over my former work identity. My real account, @SaraSorcher, still existed. In my picture, I was still smiling and wearing a gray suit. The @SaraSorcherNJ account — Fake Me — sported a smirking, balding Willis in a track suit and v-neck white tee. I tweet about news and wonky security policy issues. Fake Russian-speaking Me enjoys 'watching Hannibal, eating apples and pondering the nature of existence.'"
Re: On Caring and Relevance (Score:1)
Its hacking man! After someone deleted their account and made another someone hacked the planet and made an identical account with the old name. Leet haxz need to become top commented every time!
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It's actually a mild form of identity theft.
Per TFA, the username was grabbed within a day of being released. It's someone's real name, not a well-known fictional character or such, so it's most likely that the new owner was trying to capitalize on the old owner's fame. Twitter's policies prohibit exactly this kind of thing, so TFA details the process the author followed to get it shut down.
It's not particularly notable to those of us who are deep in the world of security, and probably not surprising to mos
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It's actually a mild form of identity theft.
It's actually a mild form of trying to grab an abandoned account name in order to leach off the popularity.
Same thing happens with abandoned domain names.
If you don't want this happening, don't abandon your old account.
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baffling thing is why delete the old account in the first place...
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Specifically, she didn't want to "start from scratch with my followers".
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It's not particularly notable to those of us who are deep in the world of security, and probably not surprising to most savvy users, but it's informative nonetheless.
No kidding. But twitter is the digital equivalent of unsafe sex to begin with, so likely those who know don't have accounts.
Ignorance and arrogance seem to go well together (Score:5, Interesting)
This reporter is going to write about online security, but expects her old Twitter handle that she abandoned not to be available to others? How delightfully naive. She should fit well in a paper that's Christian and scientifically orientated...
At the same time it is arrogant to blame the system for your own ignorance.
Re:Ignorance and arrogance seem to go well togethe (Score:5, Funny)
Christian Security: How would Jesus defend his network?
Re:Ignorance and arrogance seem to go well togethe (Score:5, Funny)
Christian Security: How would Jesus defend his network?
By turning the other cheek.
Its a way easy certification.
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As opposed to the Russian hackers, who apparently churn the other tweet.
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"I'm sorry I lied to you Marge, but this gun had a hold on me. I felt this incredible surge of power, like god must feel when he's holding a gun."
--Homer Jay Simpson
Re:Ignorance and arrogance seem to go well togethe (Score:5, Informative)
CSM is actually a good paper, and I say this as an atheist. The only regular "religious" aspect is a single daily column, "A Christian Science Perspective" - you'll find less religion in the CSM than in lots of other US papers. The overwhelming majority of their reporting has nothing to do with religion. They've won 7 Pulitzers and are famous for avoiding sensationalism.
Re:Ignorance and arrogance seem to go well togethe (Score:4, Insightful)
Again, you're still focusing on the name. The vast majority of the paper has nothing to do with Christianity nor Science. It's just a newspaper.
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Again, you're still focusing on the name. The vast majority of the paper has nothing to do with Christianity nor Science. It's just a newspaper.
But "Christian Science" has a specific meaning - it's a loony fringe religion started by Mary Baker Eddy who don't believe in medicine, on the basis that illness is purely a mental phenomenon, amongst other things.
If the "Christian Science Monitor" were nothing to do with "Christian Science" it would have been well advised to change its name.
In fact, a quick google shows that the newspaper is the house journal of the Christian Science movement, and thus can be filed alongside "Past Life Regression Today"
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If you started a paper called the Astrological and Chiropractic Monitor, I wouldn't read it either.
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This world was built on self-important douchelicks, sonny boy,
Treat your elder feminine hygiene metaphors with a little more floral scenting, applicator tube, or adhesive strip maxi pads.
Captcha: Granny Panties
GAF meter at zero (Score:1)
> Some other user adopts handle
FOUR OH FOUR ERROR FUCK NOT FOUND.
On the bright side, this will help ward off stray thoughts like "but what if I want news from it..." in the future. Even so, please keep your socnets within their own shit domains.
Likely story Sara Sorcher..... (Score:2)
In post-soviet fake twitter tweet, balding Russian lampshade wears you!!
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Well, you got what you payed for.
I worry about people living in my previous home (Score:2)
That account was suspended by Twitter (Score:2)
I guess you can do something about it.
The Best Argument For Twitter (Score:3)
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The best argument by far that I've heard that could convince me to get a twitter account is that my online identity could be hijacked and replaced with a Russian Bruce Willis impersonator. Kind of makes me want to learn Russian, now...
If you learned Russian (and shaved your head), you could become your own Russian Bruce Willis impersonator.