Why BP is entertaining its Twitter imposter

May 27 2010, 9:32am

On May 19, 2010, one month after a BP oil rig exploded, sank and began leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, a parody Twitter account called @BPGlobalPR started with the tweet: “We regretfully admit that something has happened off of the Gulf Coast. More to Come.” Since then the site has accumulated almost seven times as many followers as the company account, @BP_America and BP seems to leaving it alone. Parody, commentary and fan accounts have their own set of guidelines within the Twitter terms of service. In order to avoid impersonation, creators are require to make it clear that their profile is not the same as the person or subject of the parody itself. The guidelines also state that if an account is deemed misleading or deceptive Twitter can request changes or shut you down. While an influx of parody accounts cued what Twitter calls Verified Accounts, there is still the odd case of hijacked brands or personalities. A recent case was one where an individual began tweeting about Ketchup from @HJ_Heinz. The account was quickly shut down after the company complained. “I’m not aware of whether BP has made any calls to have it taken down or addressed,” said Toby Odone, a spokesman for BP. “People are entitled to their views on what we’re doing and we have to live with those. We are doing the best we can to deal with the current situation and to try to stop the oil from flowing and to then clean it up.” While the parody site is sporting a black and white logo, which was put up Monday, it isn’t obvious to everyone that the company itself isn’t tweeting the messages. A few upset readers have responded by questioning the corrupt souls of those who work at BP and sprinkled in some colourful language. Generally, however, most people expect that the real BP would not be “worried about the effect this disaster will have on bikini season.” Technically @BPGlobalPR is much closer to impersonation than parody, however the company - who are aware of the feed - do not seem too concerned, and are respectful of people’s right to complain and share the public’s frustration. “We’re looking at it and it seems to have a different logo on it now,” said Odone. “People are frustrated at what’s happening, as are we, and that’s just their way of expressing it.”