Fake “like” factories – how we reverse engineered facebooks user IDs [video] (media.ccc.de)

Article summary

A team of scientists and investigative journalists investigated the business of fake likes and fake accounts on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. They found that thousands of pages and accounts had bought likes from sellers and were able to reverse engineer Facebook's user IDs. The team also met with people working behind the scenes, known as clickworkers, who are paid to like and click on content. The investigation revealed a large number of dead or zombie accounts on Facebook.

Main themes

• fake likes and accounts
• social media manipulation
• Facebook's response
• adversarial detection
• moral responsibility

What commenters say

• Facebook has a financial incentive to downplay the issue of fake likes and accounts, rather than actively working to solve it.
• The problem of fake accounts is not trivial and requires significant resources to solve, especially since adversaries are constantly adjusting to detection measures.
• Some argue that Facebook should not have released features that enable fake likes and accounts in the first place, and that the company is morally responsible for the consequences.
• Others believe that individual employees should take responsibility for the code they produce and the impact it has on society.
• It is suggested that alternative approaches, such as making likes private or banning likes, could be more effective in combating fake likes and accounts.
• The use of AI and machine learning to detect fake accounts is seen as a potential solution, but it is also acknowledged that adversaries can use similar techniques to evade detection.
• Some commenters argue that the issue of fake likes and accounts is not unique to Facebook and that other companies, such as Coca Cola or HSBC, also have their own ethical issues.
• Others propose that both the company and its users should be held accountable for their actions and choices regarding social media usage.