Facebook pages with a blue checkverified, that change their name and transform themselves by deceiving users and exposing them to risks. Marco Camisani Calzolari, digital culture expert, turns the spotlight on the social flaw. The theme is at the center of the report broadcast tonight by Striscia la Notizia. Facebook allows any verified page to change its name. The spokespersons of the social network do not deny the existence of the flaw, which could undermine the authority of the ‘certified’ pages.
“The quantity of existing pages with the blue check is only known by Facebook. But if we think about how many companies, brands and personalities exist in the world, I think they will probably be a few hundred thousand, to be conservative. And therefore a part of these pages could do that end if Facebook does not change the rules “, says Marco Camisani Calzolari, deepening the subject with Adnkronos.
Do the official pages that change identifiers concern particular categories? “No, Facebook unfortunately allows anyone to potentially change the name of the pages checked with a blue check. Which in my opinion, and perhaps according to logic, should not happen, as the blue check is used to communicate to users that that name has been verified and that page appears precisely under that name -highlight-. Also because this then forces Facebook to eventually check the new name of the pages which, however, can be the subject of other scams, as in the case of falsa pagina on Elon Musk, even if it had a blue check! Which means that the name change was accepted and no one realized that it couldn’t be Elon Musk. The bad guys change the name of the pages with the blue check, using known names, in order to appear reliable and therefore to be able to cheat people more easily“.
What are the dangers for users? Can there be risks related to privacy and sensitive user data? “As in the case of Elon Musk highlighted, the fake tycoon sent extraordinary offers, such as multiplying the money he asked to send him. So people sent Bitcoins, convinced that they were sending them to Elon Musk and receiving increased sums. ‘tree of the Cat and the Fox does not exist, but when an eccentric character like Musk proposes it to you, many believe it, and I cannot blame them… “, he observes. Will Facebook take action to remedy? “I hope so and we do hope so in many. Banning the name change on pages that get the blue tick for the first time would be a big step towards protecting users. Otherwise the risk is that the blue check loses its original meaning and is no longer created even in the real ones “, he concludes.
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