A hacker has broken into Doublespeed, a startup that runs a phone farm to manage AI-generated social media accounts. The company uses hundreds of smartphones to operate AI influencers that promote products on platforms like TikTok. The breach gives the hacker control of more than 1,000 phones in the system.
According to 404 Media, the hacker reported the security issue to Doublespeed on October 31. At the time of publication, the person still had access to the company’s backend systems and the phone farm. The hacker asked to remain anonymous because of fears of retaliation from the company. Doublespeed did not respond to requests for comment.
What the Breach Revealed
The hack exposed which products the AI accounts are promoting. Many of these promotions do not include required disclosures that the posts are advertisements. The AI-generated accounts appear as regular users but push commercial content without transparency.
Doublespeed has backing from Andreessen Horowitz, a major venture capital firm. The startup’s business model relies on using automated phone farms to scale social media presence. Each phone in the farm can run separate accounts that post content and engage with users.
How Phone Farms Work
Phone farms are physical setups where companies connect many smartphones to centralized systems. Each device acts like an individual user on social media platforms. Doublespeed uses this setup to manage AI influencer accounts at scale. The phones post content, respond to comments, and follow other accounts automatically.
Advertising Disclosure Concerns
The breach highlights problems with undisclosed advertising on social media. Federal Trade Commission rules require clear disclosure when posts are paid promotions. The AI accounts managed by Doublespeed often skip these disclosures. Users see what looks like organic content but is actually marketing.
The hacker’s continued access to the system raises questions about Doublespeed’s security practices. The company has not fixed the vulnerability weeks after the initial report. This leaves the phone farm and its AI accounts exposed to potential manipulation or shutdown.
