How does it work?
The BotNet
Social Zombies network is a p2p network. A peer-to-peer network relies primarily on the computing power and bandwidth of the participants in the network rather than concentrating it in a relatively low number of servers.
A pure peer-to-peer network does not have the notion of clients or servers, but only equal peer nodes that simultaneously function as both "clients" and "servers" to the other nodes on the network. This model of network arrangement differs from the client-server model where communication is usually to and from a central server.
Social Zombies network is also a decentralized network, which requires no official or common server. As such, it cannot be disabled by shutting down a given subset of key nodes. Nodes are constantly communicating with each other, mainly inside each sub-network (you and your friends) and also less often inside the major network, to keep status.
There is a main server, but it will NOT work as a hub, but as common node. This is most crucial on the initial phase of the project when there are few known and stable nodes available to query in order to find an initial node on the Social Zombies network.
Security
Social Zombies network uses strong encryptation and authentication methods in order to avoid the exploitation of the network as a malicious zombie botnet.
The Zombie
The Zombie friend will use the real cookie and/or authentication (when needed) to emulate a real user interaction with the social network.
Several methods are used and are now being put to test to better replicate real human behavior. Our goal is to make it so that it will be completely impossible to distinguish between a Social Zombie vote and one from the real user. It’s not rocket science since we are using the user computer, IP and cookies/authentication.
Application runs on the background and consumes very little resources.
Legal issues
SocialZombies is not going against any of the social networks TOS. Take Digg for instance, there’s a very well know post by Kevin Rose in which he encourages members to ask for friends’ Diggs. We are just automating a common, tedious and uncomfortable process.
Having said that, pay attention to this: after reading the agreement and signing yes, your friends will be trusting your judgeship to act on their behalf on regard to their own vote, so don't start doing spam just because the system works great. Do, as you usually did, and enjoy the extra free time and don't risk loosing some of your friends.
Making money
How do we expect to make money to pay for our work and bandwidht issues?
To be honest, that's not our major worry right now, but in case the nework becomes a huge success and reaches critical mass, we hope to deploy, on the first final release of our base app, somewhere on the year 2017 (lol), we hope to deploy a very non intrusive sponsored links according to the content users and piping over the network.
Yes, similar to Google adsense. And the best part of this is that you will be able to earn money from the ads on your sub network of friends. Keep watching ;)