Devumi
Devumi was an American company founded in 2010[1] which sold fake influence on social media. In October 2019, Devumi settled with the Federal Trade Commission, in the agency's first-ever complaint regarding the sale of fake followers, views, and likes on social media, for $2.5 million.
Overview
[edit]While Devumi operated, it sold more than 200 million fake followers. Even at its peak the company was tiny with their main office located above a restaurant in Florida. The firm primarily sold Twitter bots sourced from operations like Peakerr, SkillPatron, JAP, Cheap Panel and YTbot at a markup to celebrity and commercial clients.[2] The company also operated on YouTube, SoundCloud, and LinkedIn.[3]
History
[edit]In 2018, The New York Times published an expose about Devumi and its role in social media fraud, including supplying fake video views and social media account followers to customers.[4] The revelations in the story spurred action from regulators.[5] Devumi was forced to shut down soon after the article was published.[6]
In 2019, owner and CEO German Calas, Jr settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for $2.5 million.[7][8] According to the FTC this was the "first-ever complaint challenging the sale of fake indicators of social media influence."[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Devumi". Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ Bershidsky, Leonid (January 31, 2018). "Puffing up the number of social media followers is just a click away". Straits Times. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "US company sells over 200 million twitter followers". The Irish Times. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Confessore, Nicholas; Dance, Gabriel J.X.; Harris, Richard; Hansen, Mark (January 27, 2018). "The Follower Factory". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ Liptak, Andrew (January 28, 2018). "New York's attorney general is investigating a company that sells fake followers on social media". The Verge. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Hutchinson, Andrew (October 23, 2019). "FTC Rules that Selling Followers and Likes is Illegal, Along with Posting Fake Reviews". Social Media Today. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (October 22, 2019). "FTC settles with Devumi, a company that sold fake followers, for $2.5M". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Shubber, Kadhim (October 21, 2019). "Social media 'influencers' face crackdown on fakery". The Financial Times. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "Devumi, Owner and CEO Settle FTC Charges They Sold Fake Indicators of Social Media Influence; Cosmetics Firm Sunday Riley, CEO Settle FTC Charges That Employees Posted Fake Online Reviews at CEO's Direction" (Press release). Federal Trade Commission. October 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2020.