Senators Urge FTC to Investigate Companies Selling Social Media Influence
Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Federal Trade Commission Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen to urge the FTC to investigate companies that use fraudulent automated accounts to influence social media. The techniques, known as "amplification bots," follow, retweet, and like social media content to boost a client's visibility. The Senators' letter follows a recent New York Times report on Devumi, a company engaged in such practices. Devumi's bots often steal identities, using the photos and personal information of real people, some of whom are minors. The Senators called these practices a "unique kind of social identity theft" that "have the effect of distorting the online marketplace and creating a false sense of celebrity, credibility, or importance in people, companies, or institutions that may not deserve it." The practice also violates state privacy laws concerning "the right of publicity," which EPIC has defended.