screen_name_regex

Executes a number of predefined regular expressions across the TSN Screen Name to detect automatically created twam accounts (based on commonly used construction patterns).

The regex patterns used by this module attempt to detect whether the TSN Screen Name matches the format of what could have been an automatically generated twam account.

The following example shows the return from this module after it has successfully matched one of the regular expressions with the TSN Screen Name:

<screen_name_regex> 
	<date>1266769687</date> 
	<exec_time>8</exec_time> 
		<raw_data> 
	<matches>1</matches> 
	</raw_data> 
	<result>2</result> 
</screen_name_regex> 

Detecting automatically created Screen Name attributes is not as easy when compared to twam accounts at the start of 2009 when the software was immature and followed basic generation patterns.

Keeping up with this moving target is a challenge and so the regular expressions are periodically reviewed, and a set of organic regular expressions are maintained as twam account generation methods evolve over time.

False positives are expected as legitimate Twitter users readily create accounts constructed around Screen Name attributes that could match one or more of the regular expressions used by this module.