The twitter account @wendi_deng, verified by Twitter as the social networking profile of Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch’s famously protective wife, has been exposed as a spoof.
The account popped up about the same time as media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s created a profile on the social networking site.
Her twitter biography states "Joining my husband @rupertmurdoch in our new digital adventure on Twitter." A blue tick showed up next to "her" profile to show it had "independently" verified as the real Wendi Deng.
Twitter users were fascinated by the “insight” they were offered into the playful nature of their relationship. The Guardian even analysed the tweets of the couple, after Deng tweeted at ricky gervais:
Murdoch's glamourous wife also appeared to be ticking the media mogul off, telling him to take a tweet about Britons and working hours down:
A News International spokesperson was also fooled by the Twitter feed, it seems, confirming that the profile did belong to Murdoch's wife, according to the Guardian. They have since retracted their statement.
Since the account was exposed, the fake Wendi Deng has defended "her" actions and instead laid into Twitter’s verification process.
The fake account raises questions concerning how easy it is to impersonate people on the microblogging site. The spoof Wendi Deng claimed she was concerned when the verified tick appeared on her profile. She has since tweeted:
Twitter have since apologised for their mistake: