Elon Musk, the CEO of X Corp (formerly known as Twitter), announced on Thursday that the platform will be undergoing a purge of bots that have been a persistent issue since before he purchased it in 2022. Musk has been vocal about his determination to combat fake accounts, stating that they will be eliminated at all costs. X Corp. will be tracing the individuals responsible for these accounts and taking legal action against them.
Following Musk’s announcement, X’s safety account confirmed that a “system purge” of bots and trolls is already in progress. Users may notice changes in their follower counts as a result of accounts being eliminated for violating manipulation and spam rules. X has previously attempted to address the bot issue with programs like “Not A Bot” for new users in certain countries, as well as introducing premium tiers at different price points.
Despite these efforts, the effectiveness of these measures remains unclear. X has not shared data on the number of bots present on the platform, nor has it indicated if it plans to disclose the results of the bot purge. Musk has acknowledged challenges with bot removal, such as legitimate accounts being flagged as spam or scams. He has encouraged users to report any issues related to the bot purge to him or X engineers.
The issue of fake accounts has been a longstanding problem for Twitter and now X Corp. Even before Musk’s acquisition of the platform, bots were a point of contention, with Musk demanding information on the number of bots present on the platform during the buyout process. Since taking over as CEO, Musk has faced criticism for his attempts to combat bots, with some questioning the effectiveness of premium accounts as a solution. Verified spammers have been able to abuse the system, sending direct messages to users who didn’t follow them back.
With Musk’s net worth estimated at $193.3 billion, making him the third-wealthiest person in the world, he has made it a priority to address the issue of fake accounts on X Corp. Researchers and cybersecurity experts have noted increased bot activity during significant events, highlighting the ongoing challenge of combating these fake accounts. X Corp’s efforts to purge bots and trolls will be closely watched to see if they are successful in addressing this persistent issue.
