Imagine receiving an anonymous email to your company inbox alleging that you are a Twitter Troll who has threatened women with rape and threatened LGBT people with being thrown into internment camps etc. etc!
This happened to me in February of 2017 and it could just as easily happen to you if you have a detailed Linkedin profile.
So how did this happen? The Twitter Troll in this case used the following Twitter handles - KeystonePukeBot, KeystonePundit, and Keystone_Pundit. It seems when his account was suspended for obscene and harassing Tweets, he would just set-up another similar sounding name. Each of these accounts were anonymous, providing NO personal identification whatsoever about the real identity of the true owner.
How did I get fingered as the Troll? Way back in 2009 I set up a personal Blog using Blogspot and it was called Keystone-Pundit. I never really used it since, and in Feb 2017 there was nothing in the blog except some very brief biographical information. A friend of one the women who was threatened on Twitter did some 'research' and found my blog and my bio and determined that I - Brad Morgan, owner of the empty and dormant since 2009 Keystone-Pundit blog MUST be the Twitter troll! They traced me to my Linkedin account and then they started posting my Linkedin data all over Twitter. For days I was being vilified in thousands of Twitter feeds as the nefarious Keystone_Pundit Twitter troll and I had no idea until I received an anonymous email about it.
I tried to respond to the email but the account no longer existed. Worse yet, the Twitter vigilante army had sent emails to a college where I serve on the Board of Directors...they sent multiple emails. The college was obviously mortified by these accusations - imagine receiving these emails about a member of the Board! I was asked to meet with the board to discuss this matter and had to try to prove that I was not the Twitter troll. Imagine what that is like...Given the gravity of the situation - they have no choice but to perform due diligence to get assurance the accusations are unfounded, wasting a significant amount of valuable time, money and energy.
I have documented this entire saga in the blog that was used to 'link' me to the Twitter Troll. Unfortunately I have no idea what advise to give to anyone to help avoid this from happening. Linkedin is a great tool and resource for professionals - but it can also expose you to being the victim of mistaken identity and character assassination that will set you back as you try to clean-up the mess.
If your boss, or any of your close business contacts and associates are actually afraid to stand-up to Twitter bullies and don't have the stomach to push-back against them, then something like this could end-up being a real problem for you as well. You could end-up under the bus. I had a college President - a person with a Phd - look me in the eye and say these exact words " you have to prove you are not this person" based on NOTHING but anonymous emails. This is how people who lack courage and conviction on principle will act when confronted with an angry and mis-informed mob of bullies.
I have decided to use this - my personal blog - to further document this entire saga - it includes screen-shots from Twitter of the offending posts.
This link provides the details on the attempted character assassination:
http://keystone-pundit.blogspot.com/2017/02/keystone-pundit-is-not-related-to.html
This link provides more details on the Twitter activities of the actual Troll
http://keystone-pundit.blogspot.com/2017/02/twitter-troll-keystonepundit.html
At this point (03/06/2017) the only on-line evidence of this attack is here on this blog via my screen captures.
