The bulk of currently available research in identity deception focuses on understanding the psychological motive behind persons lying about their identity. However, apart from understanding the psychological aspects of such a mindset, it is also important to consider identity deception in the context of the technologically integrated society in which we live today. With the proliferation of social media, it has become the norm for many people to present a false identity for various purposes, whether for anonymity or for something more harmful like committing paedophilia. Social media platforms (SMPs) are known to deal with massive volumes of big data. Big data characteristics such as volume, velocity and variety make it not only easier for people to deceive others about their identity, but also harder to prevent or detect identity deception. This paper describes the challenges of identity deception detection on SMPs. It also presents attributes that can play a role in identity deception detection, as well as the results of an experiment to develop a so-called Identity Deception Indicator (IDI). It is believed that such an IDI can assist law enforcement with the early detection of potentially harmful behaviour on SMPs.
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