Elon Musk, the CEO of X, formerly Twitter, announced on Thursday that the platform would be launching a purge of bots that have been plaguing the platform since before Musk’s purchase of it in 2022. Musk has been vocal about his desire to eliminate spam bots from the platform, even stating that they will be defeated “or die trying.” The company will be tracing the individuals responsible for these fake accounts and will take legal action against them.
X’s safety account followed Musk’s announcement with a statement that they are eliminating accounts that violate manipulation and spam rules, cautioning users that their follower counts may change as a result of this purge. The platform has attempted to address its bot problem in the past, including testing a program called “Not A Bot” for new users in the Philippines and New Zealand, which required a $1 annual fee for basic functions aimed at defending against bots and spammers.
Despite X’s efforts to combat bots, the results of the “Not A Bot” program have not been publicly shared, with the platform promising to release details soon after its launch in October. X has also introduced new premium tiers priced at $3 and $16, in addition to the existing $8 per month charge for the premium tier, which Musk claimed years ago was the only way to defeat bots and trolls.
There have been some issues with the bot removal process, with Musk acknowledging in January that a spam/scam bot had mistakenly flagged legitimate accounts. He urged users to inform him or X engineers if their accounts were suspended as a result of the bot purge. While the exact number of bots on X is unknown, researchers and cybersecurity experts have observed increased bot activity during high-profile events such as the 2024 Super Bowl and political debates.
X has not disclosed the number of bots on their platform, and it remains unclear if they will release the results of their bot purge. Musk, with an estimated net worth of $193.3 billion, has faced challenges in dealing with fake accounts on the platform since acquiring it for $44 billion. Bots were a point of contention during the legal proceedings surrounding the purchase, with Musk demanding data on the number of bots, a request that was reportedly denied by Twitter before the acquisition.
Critics have questioned Musk’s approach to combating bots, including the use of premium accounts as a solution. They argue that bad actors and bot operators can purchase the verification badge that comes with the premium tier and deceive other users. X acknowledged last year that verified spammers were sending direct messages to users who did not follow them back, a capability typically reserved for verified accounts or users who allow DMs from anyone on the platform.
