Time-wasting twits survey scam hits Twitter

A survey scam that supposedly tells marks how much time they have wasted on Twitter spread widely on the micro-blogging site on Tuesday. Lures to the scam appear as updates in the feed of already compromised users, inviting prospective new victims to click on a link. Victims are invited to allow a rogue application called " …

[jake]

Who needs a survey scam to know how much of your time is wasted on twitter?

*ALL* time spent on so-called "social" networking is wasted, by definition ... Sad thing is, I think the silly gits who use it actually know this ... and yet waste their time anyway.

Step away from the computer, people. Grab a chunk of RealLife! You only have one shot at it.

[Neil 51]

Damn right...

.... it's such a waste of time that could be used in much more profitable ways. Such as reading an article about a service you don't use then taking a few extra seconds to comment on it in the hope of getting a few thumbs up.

[jake]

@Neil 51

There is a vast difference between me scanning the news over my first and second cup of coffee and occasionally commenting on same (yes, ElReg contains news), and the idiots using so-called "social" networking.

Yesterday, I was parked outside my Wife's ophthalmologist[1] when a minivan pulled up alongside. The 6-ish year old lad in the back was all excited, "C'mon, Mom! Let's go!", apparently he likes his eye doctor ... or the lollipop that he'll be allowed at the end of the visit. ANYway, the Mom in question was busy thumbing her cell phone and said "We'll go in after I've tweeted that we've arrived at the eye doctor's" ... They came out right after my Wife, and sure enough, before driving away the Mom tweeted all her "friends" that they were leaving the clinic now ... The mind absolutely boggles.

[1] The Wife needed to get her eyes dilated; normally she drives herself.

[Trev 2]

Should be simple to combat for Twitter

Should be very easy for Twitter to combat this as I assume the service uses API keys, so simply zap the key and the app won't have access to anything. Won't stop the next one, but that's why they (in theory) have a security team watching this stuff.

As for waste of time - could be, but then again is reading The Reg constructive when we could all be out solving world hunger or summut equally "moral".