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{{Short description|Twitter analytics service}} |
{{Short description|Twitter analytics service}} |
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{{Infobox organization |
{{Infobox organization |
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| image = Bot Sentinel home page.png |
| image = Bot Sentinel home page.png |
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| caption = Home page in March 2023 |
| caption = Home page in March 2023 |
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| founder = Christopher Bouzy |
| founder = [[Christopher Bouzy]] |
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| leader_name = |
| leader_name = |
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| website = {{URL|https://botsentinel.com}} |
| website = {{URL|https://botsentinel.com}} |
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'''Bot Sentinel''' is a [[Twitter]] analytics service founded in 2018 by |
'''Bot Sentinel''' is a [[Twitter]] analytics service founded in 2018 by [[Christopher Bouzy]]. It tracks [[disinformation]], inauthentic behavior and targeted harassment on Twitter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Kali |date=August 22, 2022 |title=In the midst of its battle with Elon Musk, Twitter threatens to revoke Bot Sentinel's data access after founder suggests Twitter has more than 5% 'bots' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-threatens-to-remove-tracking-tool-bot-sentinel-from-its-api-2022-8 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224020935/https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-threatens-to-remove-tracking-tool-bot-sentinel-from-its-api-2022-8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Cockerell |first=Isobel |date=2022-12-14 |title=Meghan never stood a chance against the internet |url=https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/information-war/harry-and-meghan-netflix-documentary-disinformation/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Coda Media]] |language=en-US |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224065936/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/information-war/harry-and-meghan-netflix-documentary-disinformation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Bot Sentinel was founded in 2018 by American tech entrepreneur Christopher Bouzy. Its stated goal is to improve Twitter users' experience, and it says that people should be able to engage in "healthy online discourse without inauthentic accounts, toxic trolls, foreign countries, and organized groups manipulating the conversation."<ref name=":0" /> Bouzy was inspired to create Bot Sentinel by the [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name=":2" /> |
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According to his [[LinkedIn]] page, Christopher Bouzy started out as a computer service technician, and founded several firms prior to setting up Bot Sentinel.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Wace |first=Charlotte |date=December 7, 2022 |title=Who is Christopher Bouzy in the Harry and Meghan Netflix trailer? |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-is-christopher-bouzy-in-the-harry-and-meghan-netflix-trailer-8cwqvljmw |access-date=2022-12-24 |issn=0140-0460 |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224020935/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-is-christopher-bouzy-in-the-harry-and-meghan-netflix-trailer-8cwqvljmw |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2000s, Bouzy developed the encryption software Cloak, which [[Avanquest|Avanquest Software]] acquired in 2006. Bouzy then developed Nexus Radio, a free platform for recording and playing back radio streams, which was later acquired by an investment group.<ref name=":2" /> |
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In the Early 2010s, Bouzy, under the handle IconicExpert, was accused of operating sock puppet accounts to pump up the value of the crypto coins he was trading. According to Joshua Bouw, a cofounder of Blackcoin, Bouzy sold $20 Crypto wallets but never delivered them to buyers, and pocketed several of the coins for himself. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Koener |first1=Brendan |title=Building a Platform Like Twitter Is Not Difficult |url=https://www.wired.com/story/christopher-bouzy-spoutible-race-to-unseat-twitter/ |access-date=6/6/2023 |agency=Wired.com |publisher=Wired.com |date=6/6/2023}}</ref> |
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Around 2016, Bouzy started teaching himself about [[machine learning]] algorithms.<ref name=":2" /> He founded Bot Sentinel in 2018,<ref name=":0" /> being inspired to do so due to the alleged [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name=":2" /> |
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In August 2022, Twitter said it would revoke Bot Sentinel's access to its [[API]]s, saying that Bot Sentinel's tracker activity was in violation of its API policies. At the time, Twitter was in a legal dispute with [[Elon Musk]] over his [[Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk|acquisition of the platform]].<ref name=":0" /> |
In August 2022, Twitter said it would revoke Bot Sentinel's access to its [[API]]s, saying that Bot Sentinel's tracker activity was in violation of its API policies. At the time, Twitter was in a legal dispute with [[Elon Musk]] over his [[Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk|acquisition of the platform]].<ref name=":0" /> |
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Bot Sentinel's scoring system for identifying problematic accounts is used in the social media platform [[Spoutible]], which was also created by Bouzy. Spoutible was launched in February 2023.<ref name="Wired">{{cite web |last=Koerner |first=Brendan I. |date=6 June 2023 |title='Building a Platform Like Twitter Is Not Difficult' |url=https://www.wired.com/story/christopher-bouzy-spoutible-race-to-unseat-twitter/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606105335/https://www.wired.com/story/christopher-bouzy-spoutible-race-to-unseat-twitter/ |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |accessdate=6 June 2023 |work=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> |
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In October 2022, attorney Nathaniel Broughty, who runs an anti-[[Amber Heard]]<ref name=":2" /> [[YouTube]] channel named NateTheLawyer, filed a lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court in New Jersey, claiming that he had been incorrectly flagged by Bot Sentinel and [[defamed]] by Bouzy.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 4, 2022 |title=An Attorney Who Was Labeled a 'Twitter Troll' Has Lawyered Up |url=https://www.law.com/njlawjournal/2022/11/04/an-attorney-who-was-labeled-a-twitter-troll-has-lawyered-up/?slreturn=20230002194904 |accessdate=January 2, 2023 |work=New Jersey Law Journal |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103005032/https://www.law.com/njlawjournal/2022/11/04/an-attorney-who-was-labeled-a-twitter-troll-has-lawyered-up/?slreturn=20230002194904 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In December 2022, Bot Sentinel announced that it would be launching a [[Software release life cycle#Beta|beta]] version of Spoutible, a Twitter-like social media platform, in late January 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Kali |title=Twitter alternatives that got traction after Elon Musk takeover are suddenly seeing downloads plunge. Which has staying power and who is the next Clubhouse |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-rivals-downloads-plunge-mastadon-hive-social-bluesky-2022-12 |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226100010/https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-rivals-downloads-plunge-mastadon-hive-social-bluesky-2022-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> The launch occurred on February 1, 2023, with nearly 150,000 users applying for pre-registration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laubry |first=Théo |date=2023-02-03 |title=Spoutible, une alternative crédible à Twitter? |trans-title=Spoutible, a credible alternative to Twitter? |url=https://www.slate.fr/story/240682/spoutible-alternative-credible-reussie-twitter-reseaux-sociaux-elon-musk-christopher-bouzy |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |language=fr-FR |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205081018/https://www.slate.fr/story/240682/spoutible-alternative-credible-reussie-twitter-reseaux-sociaux-elon-musk-christopher-bouzy |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== Founder == |
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Bouzy was born on May 22, 1975.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1396083628589912064|user=cbouzy|title=BREAKING: I turned 46 today and Matt Gaetz is going through some things.|author=Christopher Bouzy|date=May 22, 2021|access-date=December 27, 2022}}</ref> He grew up in [[New York City]] in what he described as a lower middle class upbringing, with his mother, a single parent. They shared a residence with his grandmother, two aunts and two cousins.<ref name=":2" /> Bouzy started coding on a [[Mattel Aquarius]] computer his mother bought him when he was 9 years old.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> |
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Bouzy lives in New York,<ref name=":3" /> and is married, with a daughter. Bouzy and his family have received harassment due to his work on Bot Sentinel.<ref name=":2" /> His mother died in 2021 after being infected with [[COVID-19]] while dealing with cancer; Bouzy said she was afraid to take the [[COVID-19 vaccine]] because "she had just heard so many different things [online]", and has cited her memory as part of the reason for being proactive with getting Twitter and other platforms to remove misinformation from their platforms.<ref name=":2" /> Bouzy appeared in the 2022 documentary series ''[[Harry & Meghan]]''.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Investigations == |
== Investigations == |
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Prior to the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Bouzy said that inauthentic Twitter accounts were promoting false or unverified claims of voter fraud, or advancing then-President [[Donald Trump]]'s unfounded claims of impropriety in the counting of ballots.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tucker |first1=Eric |last2=Fox |first2=Ben |date=2021-04-28 |title=Post-election vote tallying raises fresh security concerns |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-iran-a38cd8e8188c55ef81f7696e852bb245 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Associated Press]] |language=en |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224020935/https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-iran-a38cd8e8188c55ef81f7696e852bb245 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
Prior to the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Bouzy said that inauthentic Twitter accounts were promoting false or unverified claims of voter fraud, or advancing then-President [[Donald Trump]]'s unfounded claims of impropriety in the counting of ballots.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tucker |first1=Eric |last2=Fox |first2=Ben |date=2021-04-28 |title=Post-election vote tallying raises fresh security concerns |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-iran-a38cd8e8188c55ef81f7696e852bb245 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Associated Press]] |language=en |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224020935/https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-iran-a38cd8e8188c55ef81f7696e852bb245 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In October 2021, Bot Sentinel released their analysis of more than 114,000 tweets about [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Meghan]], the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as a result of which they found 83 accounts with a combined number of 187,631 followers that were possibly responsible for approximately 70 percent of the negative content posted about the couple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Ellie |date=October 26, 2021 |title=Twitter Data Has Revealed A Coordinated Campaign Of Hate Against Meghan Markle |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/bot-sentinel-meghan-markle-prince-harry-twitter |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]] |language=en |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227014241/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/bot-sentinel-meghan-markle-prince-harry-twitter |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WP-Oct21" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=2021-10-27 |title=Meghan target of coordinated Twitter hate campaign, report finds |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/27/meghan-target-of-co-ordinated-twitter-hate-campaign-report-finds |access-date=2023-03-16 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007172256/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/27/meghan-target-of-co-ordinated-twitter-hate-campaign-report-finds |url-status=live }}</ref> The report prompted an investigation by Twitter. The company stated that it found no evidence of "widespread coordination" between the accounts, and said that it had taken action against users who violated Twitter's conduct policy.<ref name="WP-Oct21">{{cite news |last=Cheng |first=Amy |date=October 27, 2021 |title=Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was target of organized hate campaign on Twitter, report says |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/27/meghan-markle-twitter-hate-campaign/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027092109/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/27/meghan-markle-twitter-hate-campaign/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Bouzy was himself responsible for initiating a discourse on Twitter that criticized Harry's brother and sister-in-law [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William]] and [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Catherine]], the Prince and Princess of Wales, for their appearance by tweeting that they were "aging in Banana years".<ref name=":3" /> |
In October 2021, Bot Sentinel released their analysis of more than 114,000 tweets about [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Meghan]], the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as a result of which they found 83 accounts with a combined number of 187,631 followers that were possibly responsible for approximately 70 percent of the negative content posted about the couple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Ellie |date=October 26, 2021 |title=Twitter Data Has Revealed A Coordinated Campaign Of Hate Against Meghan Markle |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/bot-sentinel-meghan-markle-prince-harry-twitter |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]] |language=en |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227014241/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/bot-sentinel-meghan-markle-prince-harry-twitter |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WP-Oct21" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=2021-10-27 |title=Meghan target of coordinated Twitter hate campaign, report finds |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/27/meghan-target-of-co-ordinated-twitter-hate-campaign-report-finds |access-date=2023-03-16 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007172256/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/27/meghan-target-of-co-ordinated-twitter-hate-campaign-report-finds |url-status=live }}</ref> The report prompted an investigation by Twitter. The company stated that it found no evidence of "widespread coordination" between the accounts, and said that it had taken action against users who violated Twitter's conduct policy.<ref name="WP-Oct21">{{cite news |last=Cheng |first=Amy |date=October 27, 2021 |title=Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was target of organized hate campaign on Twitter, report says |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/27/meghan-markle-twitter-hate-campaign/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027092109/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/27/meghan-markle-twitter-hate-campaign/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Bouzy was himself responsible for initiating a discourse on Twitter that criticized Harry's brother and sister-in-law [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William]] and [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Catherine]], the Prince and Princess of Wales, for their appearance by tweeting that they were "aging in Banana years".<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Wace |first=Charlotte |date=December 7, 2022 |title=Who is Christopher Bouzy in the Harry and Meghan Netflix trailer? |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-is-christopher-bouzy-in-the-harry-and-meghan-netflix-trailer-8cwqvljmw |url-status=live |access-date=2022-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224020935/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-is-christopher-bouzy-in-the-harry-and-meghan-netflix-trailer-8cwqvljmw |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> |
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A January 2022 Bot Sentinel report said that online hate campaigns targeting Harry and Meghan had become a "cottage industry" for a few online influencers exclusively posting about the couple. The report described it as "a lucrative hate-for-profit enterprise" where "[[racism]] and [[YouTube]] ad revenue are the primary motivators", and described the [[conspiracy theories]] the influencers promoted about Harry and Meghan as being reminiscent of the [[QAnon]] conspiracy theory.<ref name=":1" /> |
A January 2022 Bot Sentinel report said that online hate campaigns targeting Harry and Meghan had become a "cottage industry" for a few online influencers exclusively posting about the couple. The report described it as "a lucrative hate-for-profit enterprise" where "[[racism]] and [[YouTube]] ad revenue are the primary motivators", and described the [[conspiracy theories]] the influencers promoted about Harry and Meghan as being reminiscent of the [[QAnon]] conspiracy theory.<ref name=":1" /> |
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Bouzy has also conducted paid-for private research for the legal team of [[Amber Heard]] as well as unpaid research on bot attacks against public figures such as Heard, Meghan Markle, [[Pete Buttigieg]] and [[Lisa Page]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Lucas |first=Jessica |date=October 14, 2022 |title='Sometimes You've Got to Fight Fire With Fire': A Vigilante Coder Goes to War Against Misinformation |url=https://www.theinformation.com/articles/sometimes-youve-got-to-fight-fire-with-fire-a-vigilante-coder-goes-to-war-against-misinformation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014200835/https://www.theinformation.com/articles/sometimes-youve-got-to-fight-fire-with-fire-a-vigilante-coder-goes-to-war-against-misinformation |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |accessdate=January 2, 2022 |work=[[The Information (website)|The Information]] |
Bouzy has also conducted paid-for private research for the legal team of [[Amber Heard]] as well as unpaid research on bot attacks against public figures such as Heard, Meghan Markle, [[Pete Buttigieg]] and [[Lisa Page]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Lucas |first=Jessica |date=October 14, 2022 |title='Sometimes You've Got to Fight Fire With Fire': A Vigilante Coder Goes to War Against Misinformation |url=https://www.theinformation.com/articles/sometimes-youve-got-to-fight-fire-with-fire-a-vigilante-coder-goes-to-war-against-misinformation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014200835/https://www.theinformation.com/articles/sometimes-youve-got-to-fight-fire-with-fire-a-vigilante-coder-goes-to-war-against-misinformation |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |accessdate=January 2, 2022 |work=[[The Information (website)|The Information]]}}</ref> |
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== Operation == |
== Operation == |
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Bot Sentinel relies on machine learning to identify [[Twitter bot]]s, using millions of tweets from suspended accounts that are categorized as being either bots or not bots. The service is trained to identify what Bouzy calls "problematic accounts".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Mehrotra |first=Dhruv |date=September 30, 2022 |title=Bot Hunting Is All About the Vibes |language=en-US |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |url=https://www.wired.com/story/bot-hunting-is-all-about-the-vibes/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224025441/https://www.wired.com/story/bot-hunting-is-all-about-the-vibes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Its algorithm gives Twitter accounts a score between 0% and 100%, which is based on their resemblance to accounts that violate Twitter's rules.<ref name=":2" /> |
Bot Sentinel relies on [[machine learning]] to identify [[Twitter bot]]s, using millions of tweets from suspended accounts that are categorized as being either bots or not bots. The service is trained to identify what Bouzy calls "problematic accounts".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Mehrotra |first=Dhruv |date=September 30, 2022 |title=Bot Hunting Is All About the Vibes |language=en-US |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |url=https://www.wired.com/story/bot-hunting-is-all-about-the-vibes/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224025441/https://www.wired.com/story/bot-hunting-is-all-about-the-vibes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Its algorithm gives Twitter accounts a score between 0% and 100%, which is based on their resemblance to accounts that violate Twitter's rules.<ref name=":2" /> |
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As of October 2022, Bot Sentinel consisted of Bouzy and three programmers and [[Data science|data scientists]]. Bot Sentinel receives funding through donations on its website, which allows its browser extensions and hate trackers to be used free of charge by the general public.<ref name=":2" /> |
As of October 2022, Bot Sentinel consisted of Bouzy and three programmers and [[Data science|data scientists]]. Bot Sentinel receives funding through donations on its website, which allows its browser extensions and hate trackers to be used free of charge by the general public.<ref name=":2" /> Bot Sentinel is hosted by [[Ionos]].<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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* {{Official website|https://botsentinel.com}} |
* {{Official website|https://botsentinel.com}} |
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* [https://spoutible.com/ Spoutible] |
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[[Category:Internet properties established in 2018]] |
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2018]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:40, 21 November 2023
 Home page in March 2023 | |
| Formation | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Christopher Bouzy |
| Website | botsentinel |
Bot Sentinel is a Twitter analytics service founded in 2018 by Christopher Bouzy. It tracks disinformation, inauthentic behavior and targeted harassment on Twitter.[1][2]
History[edit]
Bot Sentinel was founded in 2018 by American tech entrepreneur Christopher Bouzy. Its stated goal is to improve Twitter users' experience, and it says that people should be able to engage in "healthy online discourse without inauthentic accounts, toxic trolls, foreign countries, and organized groups manipulating the conversation."[1] Bouzy was inspired to create Bot Sentinel by the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[3]
In August 2022, Twitter said it would revoke Bot Sentinel's access to its APIs, saying that Bot Sentinel's tracker activity was in violation of its API policies. At the time, Twitter was in a legal dispute with Elon Musk over his acquisition of the platform.[1]
Bot Sentinel's scoring system for identifying problematic accounts is used in the social media platform Spoutible, which was also created by Bouzy. Spoutible was launched in February 2023.[4]
Investigations[edit]
Prior to the 2020 United States presidential election, Bouzy said that inauthentic Twitter accounts were promoting false or unverified claims of voter fraud, or advancing then-President Donald Trump's unfounded claims of impropriety in the counting of ballots.[5]
In October 2021, Bot Sentinel released their analysis of more than 114,000 tweets about Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as a result of which they found 83 accounts with a combined number of 187,631 followers that were possibly responsible for approximately 70 percent of the negative content posted about the couple.[6][7][8] The report prompted an investigation by Twitter. The company stated that it found no evidence of "widespread coordination" between the accounts, and said that it had taken action against users who violated Twitter's conduct policy.[7][8] Bouzy was himself responsible for initiating a discourse on Twitter that criticized Harry's brother and sister-in-law Prince William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, for their appearance by tweeting that they were "aging in Banana years".[9]
A January 2022 Bot Sentinel report said that online hate campaigns targeting Harry and Meghan had become a "cottage industry" for a few online influencers exclusively posting about the couple. The report described it as "a lucrative hate-for-profit enterprise" where "racism and YouTube ad revenue are the primary motivators", and described the conspiracy theories the influencers promoted about Harry and Meghan as being reminiscent of the QAnon conspiracy theory.[2]
Bouzy has also conducted paid-for private research for the legal team of Amber Heard as well as unpaid research on bot attacks against public figures such as Heard, Meghan Markle, Pete Buttigieg and Lisa Page.[3]
Operation[edit]
Bot Sentinel relies on machine learning to identify Twitter bots, using millions of tweets from suspended accounts that are categorized as being either bots or not bots. The service is trained to identify what Bouzy calls "problematic accounts".[10] Its algorithm gives Twitter accounts a score between 0% and 100%, which is based on their resemblance to accounts that violate Twitter's rules.[3]
As of October 2022, Bot Sentinel consisted of Bouzy and three programmers and data scientists. Bot Sentinel receives funding through donations on its website, which allows its browser extensions and hate trackers to be used free of charge by the general public.[3] Bot Sentinel is hosted by Ionos.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Hays, Kali (August 22, 2022). "In the midst of its battle with Elon Musk, Twitter threatens to revoke Bot Sentinel's data access after founder suggests Twitter has more than 5% 'bots'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Cockerell, Isobel (December 14, 2022). "Meghan never stood a chance against the internet". Coda Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Lucas, Jessica (October 14, 2022). "'Sometimes You've Got to Fight Fire With Fire': A Vigilante Coder Goes to War Against Misinformation". The Information. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Koerner, Brendan I. (June 6, 2023). "'Building a Platform Like Twitter Is Not Difficult'". Wired. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Tucker, Eric; Fox, Ben (April 28, 2021). "Post-election vote tallying raises fresh security concerns". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
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