Shapps accused of being Twitter cyborg

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Central Government and also in Communities, Housing

Lord Prescott has raised concerns about the human reality of Housing Minister Grant Shapps' Twitter account.

The former Deputy Prime Minister 'tweeted' that Shapps had apparently started following him on the social network only to unfollow him sometime later, and asked if others had had the same experience.

Many users responded that Shapps had indeed followed and then quickly unfollowed them.

The mysterious activity suggests the use of software designed to boost twitters' follower counts.

Using automated applications known as 'bots', masses of users are followed in the hope that the follower will be followed in return, who are then dumped.

One user tweeted: “I find it baffling why Welwyn's MP follows me. I live in South London.”

Shapps has played down the suggestions of robotic subterfuge. He tweeted back at Lord Prescott: "Hey at least I can be bothered to follow tweeps. Your approach is rather less reciprocal I see."

It's not the first time that the MP has been accused of internet chicanery.

During the 2007 Ealing Southall by-election, Shapps was singled out for criticism after he was caught allegedly ‘sock puppeting’, an internet practice where someone using a false identity pretends to be a different person.

Shapps issued a statement categorically denying the ‘sock puppeting’ allegations and insisted that persons unknown had hacked into his account by guessing the rather simple password ‘1,2,3,4’.