What are Twitter bots, the problem that has made Elon Musk target Parag Agrawal?
Elon Musk's pausing of his bid to buy Twitter due to questions over "bots" has put the artificially-operated accounts at the heart of the proposed deal's latest controversy. The problem has even made Elon Musk corner Parag Agrawal who has raected to an extent too. Also read: Parag Agrawal reacts to Elon Musk
The software is so commonplace and can be such a problem that tech giants such as Meta, Google and Twitter have teams devoted to banishing bots and cybersecurity firms sell defenses against them.
Here's a closer look at bots:
At a basic level, "bots" are software programs that interact with online platforms, or their users, pretending to be real people, said Tamer Hassan, co-founder and chief of cybersecurity firm HUMAN.
Malicious bots have become sophisticated and are among this decade's top cyber threats, said Hassan, whose firm specializes in distinguishing people from software online.
The term bots at Twitter is often used to describe fake accounts, powered by some version of artificial intelligence, that can fire off posts and even react to what is posted by others, said independent analyst Rob Enderle.
Bots are used in more than three quarters of security and fraud incidents that happen online, from spreading socially divisive posts to snapping up hot concert tickets and hacking, Hassan told AFP.
"The question is, what would you do if you could look like a million humans?" Hassan asked rhetorically.
"Across all social media platforms, bots can be used to spread content to influence people's opinions, garner reactions and can even result in cybercrime."
Bots can be used on social media to widely spread false news, direct users to misinformation, steer people to specious websites and make bogus posts seem popular using
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