NICOLA Sturgeon has been hit with a Twitter impersonator aiming abuse at Douglas Ross and Alex Salmond.
After new Twitter boss Elon Musk allowed users to buy verification badges on the social media site, a parody account was set up in the First Minister’s name.
A user, using the same profile picture and wallpaper as Ms Sturgeon, bought “verified” status and tweeted abuse at the First Minister’s political rivals.
Before Mr Musk took over Twitter, blue ticked accounts were applied to users who could verify their true identity.
But the new owner of the company is now using the verification mark as a money-making tool.
The revamped service gives anyone who signs up to his £6.99 a month Twitter Blue premium service a tick.
The parody account of the First Minister has aimed abuse at Mr Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, and former SNP leader and first minister Alex Salmond.
Commenting on photo of Mr Ross with young community volunteers, the parody account tweeted: “Young people hate you Doug, your party is done as soon as the pensioners that prop you up are gone.”
Mr Salmond’s Alba party tweeted a video reminiscing about the former first minister’s breakthrough as a young MP, being evicted from parliament in 1988 for disrupting a UK budget speech.
The account tweeted: “Wonder whatever became of that young Alex Salmond chap? I wonder if he’s related to the disgraced former First Minister who only serves to turn moderates off independence.”
Twitter said it was “aggressively” going after impersonation and the fake accounts were shut down within hours, but at one point Blue was suspended.
The only element that remains is a “government official” tag.
Mr Musk responded to the issues.
He said: “Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works and change what doesn’t.”
A fake account impersonating George W Bush tweeted with a sadface emoji: “I miss killing Iraqis.”
A fake Tony Blair replied: “Same tbh.”
A Donald Trump account said: “This is why Elon Musk’s plan won’t work.”
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