Twitter has spiralled into turmoil since Elon Musk’s takeover of the company. Half of Twitter’s workforce lost their jobs immediately, entire teams were stripped out of the company, the work-from-home policy was scrapped, and he is now warning of possible bankruptcy.
One of the changes which has caused alarm for businesses and people in the public eye, is the new ability for subscribers to buy the renowned ‘blue tick’.
Whilst a barrage of imposter accounts has provided some entertainment amongst stressful times for the company, it could be incredibly damaging for smaller businesses and people of interest.
Our Dispute Resolution Team, provide an update on what has been going on and share some words of advice for business owners.
Blue Tick Tyrants Takeover
Historically, Twitter had strict rules and procedures for accounts to be verified and show the blue tick against their name. This implied that the person behind the account was genuine. Blue ticks would be seen on the accounts of large brands, celebrities and people in power and information from that source could be trusted as official.
Twitter feeds went into chaos on 9 November with fake accounts masquerading as people of power posting controversial, humiliating – sometimes comical, sometimes damaging content. The accounts appear to be genuine, using official photos, convincing Twitter handles and, of course, the infamous blue tick. There were big sports stars announcing false trades, Popes partying, world leaders discussing the war in Iraq and even ‘Elon Musk’ himself sharing some rather questionable life choices!
Potential Risk for Business Owners
So, is this Twitter anarchy a bit of harmless fun that will sort itself out or should businesses be worried about potential damage to their brand and reputation?
Pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, was one of many accounts taken over by an imposter – using their official logo as a profile picture and appearing to be a genuine account. The account shared updates that insulin would now be free, which later had to be clarified from the official Eli Lilly account.
The ease and ability to pose as a business on the Internet causes danger for corporations, particularly smaller businesses, where the damage can be costly for their business profits and their reputation.
There is very little stopping a disgruntled employee, ex-member of staff, an unhappy customer or a competitor heading to Twitter to create an official looking account and posting damaging information for a large audience to see.
Imagine your business announcing its closure? Or publicly sacking your staff? Leaking confidential information or even posting offensive comments using your name? This could seriously impact a small business and is very difficult to recover from.
Where Can the Law Help You
There are various laws to protect businesses and individuals from defamation, slander, passing off, impersonation, infringement, and misuse of company assets.
The recent scandal of false ‘verified’ Twitter accounts leaves businesses vulnerable to defamation and passing off.
Small businesses can often have their status and profits impacted by false negative reviews left on websites or personal attacks on sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok.
These types of claims can be tricky for businesses to navigate and prove, but when your own business and hard-earned reputation is put in jeopardy, many business owners are keen to take legal action swiftly to remedy the situation.
To make a claim for defamation, the claimant needs to be able to prove that the statement/s made have caused ‘serious harm’ and that the statement/s have caused or are likely to cause financial loss. There is a time limit for bringing a defamation claim, which is strictly one year from the date of publication.
An expert Solicitor in Dispute Resolution can work with you to find the best route outcome for your business - whether it is acting on your behalf or using alternative means to settle the dispute outside of the Courts.
If you need assistance to resolve online conflicts regarding your business, then please get in touch.
How to Protect Your Business
Often prevention is better than cure. Here are some practical tips for protecting your business interests from false accounts and misrepresentation online.
- Constantly monitor your social media accounts
Whether you have someone employed who looks after your marketing and social media, or whether you manage the accounts yourself, it is important to closely monitor them. Not only to ensure that they are not compromised, but also to be on the pulse for any new work enquiries or posts from your customers.
- Trademark your Assets
Make sure your business name and assets, such as logos are registered properly and protected from infringement.
- Set up Alerts
If you manage your social media accounts yourself, then ensure that you have your notifications turned on so that you can quickly react.
- Protect your Accounts
Use secure passwords and two-factor authentication for your socials. If you have members of staff that use your business accounts, ensure that they are trusted individuals. If staff leave the business, make sure they are promptly removed as admins and that passwords and changed.
- Have a Social Media Policy and Brand Guidelines
It is important for businesses to have all the relevant policies and procedure in place to protect themselves. In your Brand Guideline you should be setting out how and when employees are allowed to use the company logo and other assets. Your social media policy will also set out behaviours expected and consequences if this is breached.
- Communication
Be clear to your customers and staff how you will communicate with them. State whether Twitter, or other social media accounts, would be used to share information or make direct communication.
- Share you Accounts on Your Website
Make sure your official accounts are listed and linked to your company website, email footer and marketing materials to avoid any confusion. This way concerned customers can easily find your genuine accounts for clarification.
- Report Fake Accounts
If you are aware of false accounts using your business name, logo, photos or other assets, then ensure that you report them promptly via the correct channels. To report an account, open the page/account and click on the 3 dots that will appear near the top of the page or near the account name. From here you can ‘report’, make sure you provide valid reasons for reporting and follow up by contacting the social media platform directly if required. It may also help to get the false accounts reported by others – so asking your colleagues, friends and family to also report can help take it down sooner.
- Issue Clarifications and Apologies
If you find your business compromised, it is important to issue an official post from your genuine account explaining what has happened. You can pin this post to the top of your page whilst the issue is ongoing to ensure that it is seen more easily.
- Keep Evidence
Save screenshots of the account and posts it has made as evidence should you need to take things further.
- Be Careful about Retaliation
Whilst it could be tempting to interact with the fake account, approach with caution as this could cause more harm. Interacting could give the imposter the attention they are looking for and could encourage them to continue causing damage to your business. Try not to become embroiled in a back-and-forth keyboard argument in the comments section!
Need a Solicitor?
If you want to protect your brand from reputational damage or have concerns about defamatory comments, slander or passing off, then please get in touch with our specialist Dispute Resolution team today.
Call us on 01256 844888, email enquries@lambbrooks.com or speak to our online chat assistant (who is a real person, not a robot) to find out how we can help you and your business.