Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers

Doublespeed, a startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), has been hacked, exposing a phone farm that manages at least hundreds of AI-generated social media accounts used to promote products. The hack reveals which products these accounts promote, often without the required disclosure that they are advertisements, and gave the hacker control of more than 1,000 smartphones that power the company. The hacker, who asked for anonymity because he feared retaliation, said he reported the vulnerability to Doublespeed on October 31 and still has access to the company's backend, including the phone farm. Doublespeed did not respond to a request for comment.