Dive Brief:
- Tweets coming from New York Comic Con attendees this year seemed normal enough, but it turns out they weren't coming from the attendees themselves.
- Event organizers ReedPop outfitted badges with radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips tied to attendees' identities in an effort to curb counterfeits.
- Attendees were encouraged to connect their social media accounts to the badge, but were never expressly told that NYCC would be posting on there behalf. See some of the examples below.
1 <3 #NYCC http://t.co/ykhDvP1SLj
— Chelsea Stark (@chelseabot) October 10, 2013
So much pop culture to digest! Can’t. handle. the. awesome. #NYCC http://t.co/KWGNcKPdJd
— Brian Crecente (@crecenteb) October 10, 2013
Hey, @NY_Comic_Con. I did not Tweet this. What the hell? Your wifi? Your app? pic.twitter.com/GqMgsi712B
— Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy) October 11, 2013
Dive Insight:
Not being clear that they would be tweeting from users' accounts was a horrible oversight by ReedPop. It's hard to believe they would expressly deceive attendees just to gain access to their social media, but either way, we expect someone to go on damage control fairly soon. If not handled properly, the unauthorized tweeting could conceivably result in legal action.
