Meta Warns Users May Lose Followers During Latest Bot Sweep Effort

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X Announces Initiative to Eliminate Platform Manipulation and Spam

In a significant proactive initiative, X has begun a large-scale sweep aimed at eliminating accounts that violate its rules against platform manipulation and spam. The company’s Safety account announced the move via Twitter on April 4, 2024.

Today, we’re kicking off a significant, proactive initiative to eliminate accounts that violate our Rules against platform manipulation and spam. While we aim for accuracy in the accounts we remove, we’re casting a wide net to ensure X remains secure and free of bots. As a result, users may see a reduction in their follower counts.

— Safety (@Safety)

Background on X’s Efforts to Combat Spam

The move comes shortly after X announced the appointment of two new leaders to its safety team: Kylie McRoberts, an existing X employee who is now head of Safety, and Yale Cohen, previously of Publicis Media, who is joining as the head of Brand Safety and Advertiser solutions.

Spam has been a persistent issue on X, with Elon Musk expressing his intention to prioritize fighting spam in November 2022. However, despite efforts to combat the problem, advancements in AI have made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between legitimate users and bots.

The Challenge of Combating Spam

The rise of spammers pushing adult content has been a particular concern on X. A recent report by New York Intelligence detailed the scale of the issue, with spammers using explicit replies that pointed to links in their bio for users to follow.

In 2022, Musk’s plan to require users to pay for Verification did not seem to have stopped spammers from participating on the platform. TechCrunch reported that bots with Verified blue checks were replying to posts on X with a variation of the phrase, "I’m sorry, I cannot provide a response as it goes against OpenAI’s use case policy."

The Sticking Point for Musk

The scale of spam on the network was one of the sticking points for Musk when he originally tried to back out of the $44 billion Twitter deal. He claimed that the company had not been honest about the number of bots.

However, these days, Musk is touting how X is seeing record traffic, without clarifying if his own numbers include bots and spam.

How Users May Be Affected

The company’s Safety team has stated that the large-scale sweep may result in follower count reductions. This is not an uncommon occurrence on X’s platform, as bot sweeps have been known to affect legitimate users who are inadvertently caught up in the process.

X has shared a link to a form where users can appeal if they believe their account was unfairly affected by the bot sweep.

Related Developments

The appointment of new leaders to X’s safety team is seen as a significant step towards addressing the issue of spam and bots on the platform. Kylie McRoberts, who is now head of Safety, has experience working with X’s existing safety team.

Yale Cohen, previously of Publicis Media, brings expertise in brand safety and advertiser solutions to his new role as head of Brand Safety and Advertiser solutions.

Conclusion

X’s large-scale sweep aimed at eliminating platform manipulation and spam is a significant proactive initiative that highlights the company’s commitment to maintaining a secure and legitimate platform. While users may experience follower count reductions, X’s efforts are crucial in protecting its users from spammers and bots.

What do you think about X’s efforts to combat spam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!