2006 | Security | AOL busted for 'spamming' Digg?

AOL has now been publicly called out for gaming on Digg (some people use the term "spamming", but that's not quite it). In case you haven't read the past post, we think Weblogs Inc (part of AOL) post their own stories on Digg, then dozens of other staffers Digg their stories. While this cannot be 100% confirmed, it certainly looks to be the case.

Ironically, the company's CEO Jason Calacanis has rules against this exact tactic on Netscape (which is his rip-off of Digg).

There was a big discussion in this thread:
http://digg.com/design/BMW_unveils_2007_MINI_tons_of_pics

The story has also been covered here:
http://valleywag.com/tech/google/loose-wires-ted-leonsis-is-happier-than-you-193519.php
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/08/16/speedlinking-16-august-2006/

Now, we have more potential evidence. We've located what appears to be at least 25 WIN blogger accounts. Digger 'netscapeblows' decided to conduct an experiment and add the the bloggers to his Friends list. On one story, all 14 Diggs were by apparent WIN staff.

Could this be a coincidence? Maybe if it happened just twice. But we've seen this pattern over and over again. And if all these people are "just friends," why are 90%+ of their submissions (not dugg posts -- submissions) all from the same network?

Orginated From: DIGG.COM