What are Twitter bots, and why is Elon Musk obsessed with them?

5/17/22
 
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from CBSNews,
5/17/22:

Elon Musk’s proposed $44 billion purchase of Twitter appears to be wobbling, with the billionaire raising concerns about the number of inauthentic accounts, or bots, on the social media platform.

Bots can be problematic for a number of reasons, affecting users’ experience and impacting ad sales, experts say.

“It’s important for Musk to have an accurate number of active, real legitimate users because that is important for advertisers and how to monetize these folks,” Christopher Bouzy, founder of Bot Sentinel, a company that tracks bots on Twitter, told CBS MoneyWatch.

Here’s what you need to know about bots and why Musk is so focused on them.

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