I learned the term “typosquatting” today.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m. on October 30, 2020, Twump tweeted the hashtag “#BidenCrimeFamiily” with no other context or link.

That extra “i” circumvented Twitter’s efforts to hide the hashtag in search results. Called #typosquatting, this tactic is often used by trolls and media manipulators to get around the rules of social media platforms.

(Emily Dreyfuss, “Trump’s Tweeting Isn’t Crazy. It’s Strategic, Typos and All,” NYTimes, 11-6-20)

The term “typo” is short for “typographical error”; however, if a typo is intentional, it’s no longer an “error,” is it? Food for thought.

I wonder if typosquatting is the best way forward in a healthy infosystem? Has “hashtagging” joined up with “swiftboating” in our mephitic lexicon?

(c) 2020 JMN