Security and Validity of Social Networks.
Historically, as forms of technology gain more popularity and ground in the social setting, users attempt to find unintended uses for the technology for their benefit. One example of this phenomena is the rooting or jailbreaking of phone operating systems to obtain additional user accessibility and use. Nonetheless, with the growing popularity of social networking sites and technology, users are carrying this behavior over to popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the form of fake user accounts. Twitter, which allows for the use of pseudonyms is filled with fake followers, spreading false information. Facebook is riddled with false pages and users with false information attempting to hide personal information from probing eyes (namely college students using fake names to protect their content from future employers). Just last June, Facebook estimated that approximately 8.7% of its 855 million active users were duplicates, false, or undesirable for sending spam. Fake Facebook friends and likes are sold on the web on marketplaces directed at those who wish to enhance their image. Even the security and validity of reviews on consumer based web sites have has been called into question with users and businesses posting false reviews and information.
One might wonder, why would people go through the time and effort to do this? What payoff do people possibly gain by spreading false information on social networking sites. The payoff of these actions can easily be analyzed with networking concepts, such as information cascades. An information cascade occurs when people observe the actions of others and then make similar decisions that others have made, independent of their own, private information and knowledge. This plays a valuable role in social networking sites because interaction between users are simple and concise. For example, on Facebook, users communicate interests through “liking” other pages and statuses. In the model for information cascade, likes act as the signals that influence other people’s decision. On Facebook, news feeds appear on your main page, updating you on what your friend’s have recently favorited, commented on and liked. As a result, these high signals resonate through the network, encouraging others to like the source and eventually causing a cascade. Similar results happen in consequence to positive reviews for a product. As a product receives good reviews, more people are encouraged to try which in turn causes more positive reviews. This causes a cascade as more users turn towards the product.
Unfortunately, with all of this duplicity showing up on ubiquitous social networking sites, many people have started to call into question the security that should be enforced. Many users use sources such as Facebook or Twitter as a means to obtain current information on events. As a result, these users may be fed falsified information from a cascading source of information. Such issues were recently seen with falsified information on Hurricane Sandy showing up on many Twitter feeds. Likewise, many companies and organizations use these sites as a way to communicate with fans and followers. However, with the lack of security on these sites, false accounts have been created posing as these organizations to spread false information to users. While it is definitely not a duty of the companies of these social networking sites to monitor all user activity and find every source of false information, it is up to the users to be smart how they receive and send information over these networking sites.
-aak
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/technology/false-posts-on-facebook-undermine-its-credibility.html?adxnnl=1&ref=business&pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1352786429-GRK/UZ9gv4LAtXsqrcLDHA&_r=0