The problem of fake accounts is suspected to be enough to undermine Twitter, for example if it is used to spread hoaxes or bully. Elon Musk himself has doubts about Twitter's claims about the number of fake accounts.
As reported, Elon Musk just said the Twitter purchase process was delayed, due to the problem of the number of fake accounts on Twitter.
"Twitter deals are temporarily suspended, (there are) pending details for calculations that spam/fake accounts do represent less than 5% of users," Elon said in a tweet.
Twitter in its first quarter financial report said fake or spam accounts were less than 5% of total active users in the first 3 months of 2022. Well, this data is not independently verified and the number may be higher.
Twitter is actually quite aggressive in fighting fake accounts. They do not require users to use real names. So feel free to use a pseudonym as the user likes. However, there is a condition.
"Unlike other social media, it doesn't have to be a real name and if you use another name or post photos of flowers or pets, that's okay. But don't mislead who he really is. This is the focus," said Yoel Roth, Global Head of Site. Integrity Twitter, some time ago.
He said Twitter did not hesitate to delete fake accounts. For example by identifying whether an account has a bio and sharing information in an unconventional way, or such as just a copy-paste place and a pattern.
"However, see whether the content and behavior can be accounted for. There must be a thorough understanding of the content whether there is a violation or not," he said.
But as of now, fake accounts still seem to be a big problem on Twitter. Elon Musk just had his doubts.
