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Some simple things Twitter could do/could have done to combat disinformation and bad actors (but don't):
1. Remove the ability to change your handle and display name. Why does this matter?
Accounts can gain millions of followers by tweeting, say, pics of puppies. Then, completely change their profile display name, handle, and pic, and start tweeting out disinformation to their millions of unsuspecting followers.
2. add the ability to see an account’s history of handle, display name changes, and languages used. Automatically VISUALLY flag accounts that have more than x number of changes over their lifetime.
Don’t you think it would be infinitely easier to spot a troll if you could quickly see that someone was tweeting as a woman in Russian, then a man in French, then as a SAHM from Texas?
3. Add the ability to report an account specifically as a suspected BOT, fake persona, or paid agitator.
4. Automatically VISUALLY flag accounts that tweet more than 60x a day (on average) as potential bots/trolls.
All of this would go a really long way. Why hasn’t it been done? (that's a rhetorical question. We know why it hasn't been done). nytimes.com/2017/11/05/wor…
Case in point right here: "I will Never Vote for Hillary,Welcome aboard the Trump Train,” said a tweet from an account that was said to come from Texas and was identified as “Southern. Conservative Pro God. Anti Racism.” (cont'd)
The account, actually operated by a Russian, had 72,121 followers. washingtonpost.com/politics/insid…
