Social Networking Spam

Social Networking Spam

"Social Spam" is unwanted spam content appearing on social networks and any website with user-generated content (comments, chat, etc.). A short time ago, social spam and online abuse were practically non-existent. As email spam filters became more effective, catching over 95% of these messages, spammers have moved to a new target – the social web. Over 90% of social network users have experienced social spam in some form. Those doing the “spamming” can be automated spambots, fake accounts, or real people. Social spammers often capitalize on breaking news stories to plant malicious links or dominate the comment sections of websites with disruptive or offensive content. Social spam is on the rise, with analysts reporting a nearly doubling of social spam activity in six months. It is estimated that up to 40% of all social user accounts are fake, depending on the site. In August, 2012, Facebook admitted through its updated regulatory filing that 8.7% of its 955 million active accounts were fake. Social spam can be manifested in many ways, including bulk messages, profanity, insults, hate speech, malicious links, fraudulent reviews, fake friends, and personally identifiable information.