Celebrities buy fake followers. Twitter: 🤷🤷🤷

A president, an actress from Scandal, an American Idol contestant, and a star quarterback were just four of the many influential figures found to have purchased fake Twitter followers, via a New York Times investigation published Saturday. 

But while these acts are shady and can influence the results of something — from getting a customer service complaint in front of Volvo to a presidential campaign — they are often overlooked by the platforms themselves. 

Twitter says it does invest in fighting bots, as in false or spam accounts. But it doesn't always suspend users that are purchasing fake engagement to spread their messages or just tout their reach. That policy comes even as the Times found evidence of influential figures using a service called Devumi to purchase followers and shared that information with Twitter.  Read more...