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And Finally
Britney’s Twitter hacked
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 30 June 2009
Britney Spears Twitpic account was hacked a couple of days ago, and whoever did it posted a message claiming that the singer was dead. “Britney has passed today” it read. “It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come”.
Presumably the hacker’s hope was to kick off the latest incorrect net-based dead celeb rumour, perhaps aided by the fact the last but one dead celeb rumour on the net turned out to be true (the subsequent Jeff Goldblum was, of course, fake). But I’m not sure the Britney one gathered much momentum, because it was quickly followed by a tweet from what was presumably a legitimate contributor who wrote: “Britney’s Twitter was just hacked. The last message is obviously not true. She is fine and dandy spending a quiet day at home relaxing”.
Elsewhere in fake Twitter messages, a couple of recent graduates who created a false account claiming to be that of Foreign Secretary David Miliband say it highlights the importance of verification on the internet. Many, including journalists from major newspapers, thought that the account was real, and reported the fake politician’s slightly odd tribute to the late Michael Jackson as fact. The duo who created the account, Rory Crew and Knud Noelle, said they wanted to bring political comedy to Twitter, but have now stopped because it wasn’t really their intention to mislead anyone. Crew said: “I’m not happy about duping the media, but they learned something”.
