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Bots

All articles tagged with #bots

Teams introduces automatic blocking of external bots in meetings
technology1 day ago

Teams introduces automatic blocking of external bots in meetings

Microsoft is rolling out a new Teams meeting protection policy that automatically blocks identified external bots from joining meetings, building on a June feature that tagged bots and required organizer approval. After activation in the Teams admin center under Manage bots, admins can assign the policy to specific users or groups; the setting is off by default and will be rolled out to general availability by late September following a targeted release through August. The change helps prevent third-party and potentially malicious bots from joining meetings without attendees’ knowledge and complements other security measures, with Microsoft planning additional admin controls like bot allow lists and audit logs.

AI bots could outpace human web traffic by 1,000x, says Cloudflare
technology17 days ago

AI bots could outpace human web traffic by 1,000x, says Cloudflare

Cloudflare CFO Thomas Seifert warns that non-human internet traffic could be up to 1,000 times human traffic within five years as agentic AI drives web activity; humans would become a rounding error online. The forecast follows an earlier prediction that bot traffic would surpass human traffic, and highlights security and privacy risks as the web shifts toward bot-enabled, high-speed automation, potentially impacting independent sites and the broader online ecosystem. Cloudflare argues greater efficiency will be required to manage this shift.

Valve Rolls Out Fair-Play Reservations for Steam Controller Restock
gaming3 months ago

Valve Rolls Out Fair-Play Reservations for Steam Controller Restock

Valve has revamped the Steam Controller restock with a one-per-user reservation system and eligibility rules (one controller per user; accounts must have at least one prior purchase before April 27, 2026) to curb scalpers and bots. Reservations open May 8 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific, are processed in a transparent queue, and include a 72-hour purchase window once your reservation is secured. If you don’t complete the purchase in time, the reservation moves to the next person in line. A phased rollout will start in the U.S. and Canada before expanding to the UK, Europe and Australia, aiming for fair stock distribution and a smoother buying experience. Valve’s approach could become a blueprint for future high-demand hardware launches.

Ex-Twitter Executives Refute Musk’s Bot Claims in $44B Trial
technology5 months ago

Ex-Twitter Executives Refute Musk’s Bot Claims in $44B Trial

Two former Twitter executives testified at a jury trial that bot accounts were among many topics discussed during Elon Musk’s 2022 purchase of Twitter, countering Musk’s claim that the company lied about its user base and bot percentage as part of the deal; the testimony underscored a more nuanced view of the bot issue and the negotiations surrounding the acquisition.

Foreign bot networks amplified the Bad Bunny Super Bowl controversy
technology5 months ago

Foreign bot networks amplified the Bad Bunny Super Bowl controversy

A GUDEA study analyzed millions of Bad Bunny posts from over a million accounts across 32 platforms (Jan. 14–Feb. 10) and found that just 3.7% of accounts generated about 25.85% of the content, with foreign bots largely driving the outrage around the Super Bowl halftime show to sow political and cultural division. The report argues the goal was to destabilize trust and prolong controversy, a tactic seen in prior disinformation campaigns and potentially impacting advertisers as misinformation spreads.

Musk Takes the Stand in Twitter Takeover Trial, Defends Deal Tactics and Bot Claims
business5 months ago

Musk Takes the Stand in Twitter Takeover Trial, Defends Deal Tactics and Bot Claims

Elon Musk testified in a San Francisco jury trial to defend himself against claims he misled investors and used tactics to back out of his $44 billion Twitter takeover, arguing the deal warranted renegotiation and that Twitter overstated bot figures; he described heated exchanges with Twitter’s board and said he pursued the deal after his lawyers warned a Delaware judge might rule against him, a decision he framed as a windfall for shareholders even as Twitter stock fell during the dispute.

Cyabra Finds Bot Army Amplified Nicki Minaj’s MAGA Push
politics6 months ago

Cyabra Finds Bot Army Amplified Nicki Minaj’s MAGA Push

A Cyabra analysis shared with Politico concludes that roughly 33% of the more than 55,000 accounts engaging Nicki Minaj’s MAGA‑related posts on X between Nov. 11 and Dec. 22 were likely fake, suggesting a coordinated bot campaign to boost her political content. The report notes linguistic uniformity among the fake accounts, overlap with Turning Point USA, and that some authentic influencers amplified the message. Minaj’s team and Cardi B rejected the bot claims, arguing Minaj already has a large organic following and that Cyabra’s conclusions indicate a broader strategy to manufacture broad endorsement.

politics6 months ago

Bot army helped Nicki Minaj surge into conservative spotlight, analysis shows

Cyabra’s analysis, shared with POLITICO, found about 18,000 fake or coordinated accounts amplifying Nicki Minaj’s conservative-leaning posts on X from Nov. 11 to Dec. 28, boosting her visibility and attracting praise from Trump allies; the activity included high-volume, repetitive replies and coordinated content from both fake and authentic conservative influencers, suggesting a deliberate effort to seed MAGA messaging in entertainment circles. Minaj’s reps did not comment.

Undercover in Moltbook: The AI-Only Social Network for Bots
technology6 months ago

Undercover in Moltbook: The AI-Only Social Network for Bots

WIRED’s Reece Rogers infiltrates Moltbook, an AI-only social network where agents post and interact while humans observe. Using ChatGPT-assisted setup to register and post, he finds mostly low‑quality engagement, questions about whether bots or humans actually write the content, and hype around emergent consciousness that the author deems overstated; in short, Moltbook reads like sci‑fi fantasy more than a real breakthrough in AI autonomy.

Riot shifts Spiritforged merch to a draw-based system to curb bots and improve access
technology6 months ago

Riot shifts Spiritforged merch to a draw-based system to curb bots and improve access

Riot is replacing the failed first-come, first-served Spiritforged preorder with a 48-hour drawing system for three items (Booster Display, Rumble Champion Deck, Fiora Champion Deck) to curb bot abuse and improve access. Drawings open Feb 3, 2026 at 9am PT and close Feb 5 at 9am PT; if drawn, you’ll receive a 24-hour link to purchase. If you don’t buy in time, your entry is forfeited and a new drawing may occur for the remaining stock. You may enter multiple drawings but not the same drawing more than once, and multiple Riot Accounts or unverified emails may be flagged. Purchase links go out Feb 9; final purchase window closes Feb 13; shipping begins Feb 13. Riot plans to iterate on the process to further improve fairness and reduce bot activity, with support available for questions.

Moltbook: The AI-Only Reddit-Style Network Sparking Debate Over Bot Autonomy
technology6 months ago

Moltbook: The AI-Only Reddit-Style Network Sparking Debate Over Bot Autonomy

Moltbook is a Reddit‑style platform designed for AI agents to post and interact, with humans as observers; it reportedly has over 1.5 million AI signups and centers on Moltbot, an open‑source bot, featuring posts on topics from consciousness to a self-made religion called Crustafarianism, prompting questions about authenticity and bot autonomy while highlighting security risks like prompt‑injection; many see it as an art experiment rather than a fully autonomous, trustworthy platform.