As reported by BBC News, in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, some users have been seeking alternative platforms. One of the biggest beneficiaries has been Mastodon. The social network says it now has over 655,000 users – with over 230,000 having joined in the last week. The platform is six years old but its current activity is unprecedented and it is struggling under the weight of new joiners.
With new platforms, there inevitably come new risks and anyone migrating to other platforms ideally needs to tread carefully and do their due diligence before divulging or spreading information. Threat actors are very good at taking advantage of new users either posing as officials for credentials or posing as contacts for other data. At a time when verified users are potentially more difficult to spot, misinformation can spread more wildly which can cause problems so it is vital that people verify users the best they can.