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== Early life == |
== Early life == |
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Christopher 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 [[Brownsville, Brooklyn]],<ref name="Wired" /> in what he described as a lower-middle-class upbringing, with his mother, a single parent.<ref name=":23" /> His mother was a Black immigrant from Panama, and worked for the [[New York Telephone Company]].<ref name="Wired" /> Bouzy and his mother shared a residence with his grandmother, two aunts and two cousins.<ref name=":23">{{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 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |work=[[The Information (website)|The Information]] |quote=One anti-Heard YouTuber, NateTheLawyer...}}</ref> |
Christopher 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 [[Brownsville, Brooklyn]],<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine |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 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |quote=This earned him the wrath of several pro-Depp partisans who were attracting big audiences by commenting on the trial. Among the enraged was a YouTuber named Nathaniel Broughty, a lawyer and former police officer who dismissed Bot Sentinel as "a paid propaganda" firm in Heard’s employ.}}</ref> in what he described as a lower-middle-class upbringing, with his mother, a single parent.<ref name=":23" /> His mother was a Black immigrant from Panama, and worked for the [[New York Telephone Company]].<ref name="Wired" /> Bouzy and his mother shared a residence with his grandmother, two aunts and two cousins.<ref name=":23">{{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 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |work=[[The Information (website)|The Information]] |quote=One anti-Heard YouTuber, NateTheLawyer...}}</ref> |
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Bouzy started coding on a [[Mattel Aquarius]] computer his mother bought him when he was nine years old.<ref name=":23" /><ref name=":32">{{Cite news |last=Wace |first=Charlotte |date=December 7, 2022 |title=Who is Christopher Bouzy in the Harry and Meghan Netflix trailer? |
Bouzy started coding on a [[Mattel Aquarius]] computer his mother bought him when he was nine years old.<ref name=":23" /><ref name=":32">{{Cite news |last=Wace |first=Charlotte |date=December 7, 2022 |title=Who is Christopher Bouzy in the Harry and Meghan Netflix trailer? |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-is-christopher-bouzy-in-the-harry-and-meghan-netflix-trailer-8cwqvljmw |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/GdUWV |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-24 |work=[[The Times]] |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> He graduated from high school in 1992.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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Following his graduation from high school, Bouzy joined the IT department of the [[New York City Department of Education]], using contract coding jobs to supplement his income.<ref name="Wired" /> |
Following his graduation from high school, Bouzy joined the IT department of the [[New York City Department of Education]], using contract coding jobs to supplement his income.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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According to his [[LinkedIn]] page, Bouzy started out as a computer service technician |
According to his [[LinkedIn]] page, Bouzy started out as a computer service technician and founded several firms prior to setting up [[Bot Sentinel]].<ref name=":32" /> 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=":23" /> Bouzy also ran a dating website called IfSolo and a "peer-to-peer rewards network" known as Bytecent.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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In the mid-2010s, Bouzy was active under the handle "IconicExpert" on Bitcointalk, a forum for [[Cryptocurrency|crypto]] traders. During this period, he was accused by several users of using bots and [[Sock puppet account|sock puppet accounts]] to "pump up the value of coins he'd stockpiled". According to Joshua Bouw, co-founder of a digital currency known as BlackCoin, Bouzy developed a special wallet for the currency, but people who purchased the $20 "BlackCoin Card" never received it, and Bouzy allegedly kept a number of coins he had promised to hand out at a canceled promotional event. In 2023, Bouzy characterized the allegations as "misinformation and disinformation" promoted by people with ulterior motives.<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]] |quote=This earned him the wrath of several pro-Depp partisans who were attracting big audiences by commenting on the trial. Among the enraged was a YouTuber named Nathaniel Broughty, a lawyer and former police officer who dismissed Bot Sentinel as "a paid propaganda" firm in Heard’s employ.}}</ref> |
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Around 2016, Bouzy started teaching himself about [[machine learning]] algorithms.<ref name=":23" /> He founded Bot Sentinel in 2018,<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 |url-status=live |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 |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref> being inspired to do so by the [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name=":23" /> |
Around 2016, Bouzy started teaching himself about [[machine learning]] algorithms.<ref name=":23" /> He founded Bot Sentinel in 2018,<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 |url-status=live |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 |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref> being inspired to do so by the [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name=":23" /> |
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Bouzy gained significant public attention through his appearance in the 2022 [[Netflix]] docuseries [[Harry & Meghan|''Harry & Meghan'']], which chronicles the lives of [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Meghan Markle]], Duke and Duchess of Sussex.<ref name=":32" /><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/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224065936/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/information-war/harry-and-meghan-netflix-documentary-disinformation/ |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Coda Media]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In the docuseries, Bouzy discusses the findings of Bot Sentinel, which played a crucial role in uncovering coordinated online hate campaigns against Meghan Markle. His analysis revealed that a significant portion of the hateful and defamatory content directed at Meghan originated from a small number of highly active accounts. Bouzy's work highlighted the extent of the online abuse faced by Meghan, attributing much of it to organized troll networks and bot accounts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20221208159124/christopher-bouzy-harry-and-meghan-netflix/|title=Christopher Bouzy appears in "Harry & Meghan" Netflix docuseries|website=Hello! Magazine|date=2022-12-08|accessdate=2024-05-16|archive-date=May 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525192459/https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20221208159124/christopher-bouzy-harry-and-meghan-netflix/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> |
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In February 2023, Bouzy launched [[Spoutible]], a [[Twitter]]-like [[social media]] platform.<ref name="Wired" /> |
In February 2023, Bouzy launched [[Spoutible]], a [[Twitter]]-like [[social media]] platform.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== Legal issues == |
== Legal issues == |
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In October 2022, attorney and anti-[[Amber Heard]]<!-- The descriptor is well-sourced. A prior discussion concluded that it should be included: Talk:Bot Sentinel#Semi-protected edit request on 22 April 2023 --> [[YouTuber]]<ref name=":23" /><ref name="Wired" /> Nathaniel Broughty filed a lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court in New Jersey, alleging that he had been incorrectly flagged by Bot Sentinel and [[defamed]] by Bouzy.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 4, 2022 |first=Charles|last=Toutant|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 |url-status=live |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 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |accessdate=January 2, 2023 |work=New Jersey Law Journal}}</ref> According to Broughty's complaint, Bouzy tweeted that Broughty "went from being the son of two crackheads, a drug dealer, a cop, and a prosecutor, to attacking journalists and me on social media", falsely asserted that he was not a real lawyer, derided him as a "Twitter troll and YouTube grifter", and alleged he had admitted to planting evidence on a suspect when he worked as a police officer. Bouzy filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.<ref name="Wired" /> |
In October 2022, attorney and anti-[[Amber Heard]]<!-- The descriptor is well-sourced. A prior discussion concluded that it should be included: Talk:Bot Sentinel#Semi-protected edit request on 22 April 2023 --> [[YouTuber]]<ref name=":23" /><ref name="Wired" /> Nathaniel Broughty filed a lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court in New Jersey, alleging that he had been incorrectly flagged by Bot Sentinel and [[defamed]] by Bouzy.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 4, 2022 |first=Charles|last=Toutant|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 |url-status=live |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 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |accessdate=January 2, 2023 |work=New Jersey Law Journal}}</ref> According to Broughty's complaint, Bouzy tweeted that Broughty "went from being the son of two crackheads, a drug dealer, a cop, and a prosecutor, to attacking journalists and me on social media", falsely asserted that he was not a real lawyer, derided him as a "Twitter troll and YouTube grifter", and alleged he had admitted to planting evidence on a suspect when he worked as a police officer. Bouzy filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.<ref name="Wired" /> The lawsuit was dismissed in August 2023, with the judge ruling that Broughty's complaint had failed to allege he had been intentionally lied about with the intention of harming him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=Jake |date=August 7, 2023 |title='Nate The Lawyer' Loses NJ Defamation Suit Over Trolling |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1708548/nate-the-lawyer-loses-nj-defamation-suit-over-trolling |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=[[Law360]] |language=en |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516220934/https://www.law360.com/articles/1708548 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In 2023, Bouzy was a co-defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]] Jason Goodman. The lawsuit stemmed from Bouzy allegedly insinuating that Goodman might be guilty of sexual assault.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name=":2" /> The allegation arose after Goodman admitted in a recorded phone call that someone had accused him of sexually assaulting a model. The case was dismissed with prejudice in 2024, and the judge imposed a filing injunction barring any future filings by Goodman against Bouzy in the district without first obtaining leave of court.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Analisa |first=Torres |date=February 8, 2024 |title=Case 1:21-cv-10878-AT-JLC |url=https://botsentinel.com/documents/case-121-cv-10878-at-jlc.pdf |access-date=February 8, 2024 |website=[[Bot Sentinel]] |language=en |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516221011/https://botsentinel.com/documents/case-121-cv-10878-at-jlc.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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As of June 2023, Bouzy is a co-defendant in a defamation lawsuit by a [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]] for allegedly insinuating that they might be guilty of rape.<ref name="Wired" /> |
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== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
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Bouzy's 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=":23" /> |
Bouzy's 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=":23" /> |
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Bouzy appeared in the 2022 documentary series ''[[Harry & Meghan]]''.<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/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224065936/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/information-war/harry-and-meghan-netflix-documentary-disinformation/ |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=[[Coda Media]] |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 22:29, 16 May 2024
Christopher Bouzy | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 22, 1975 |
| Known for | |
| Children | 2 |
Christopher Bouzy (born May 22, 1975) is an American tech entrepreneur known for founding Bot Sentinel, a Twitter analytics service that tracks disinformation, inauthentic behavior and targeted harassment. In 2023, he launched Spoutible, a social media platform.
Early life
Christopher Bouzy was born on May 22, 1975.[1] He grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn,[2] in what he described as a lower-middle-class upbringing, with his mother, a single parent.[3] His mother was a Black immigrant from Panama, and worked for the New York Telephone Company.[2] Bouzy and his mother shared a residence with his grandmother, two aunts and two cousins.[3]
Bouzy started coding on a Mattel Aquarius computer his mother bought him when he was nine years old.[3][4] He graduated from high school in 1992.[2]
Career
Following his graduation from high school, Bouzy joined the IT department of the New York City Department of Education, using contract coding jobs to supplement his income.[2]
According to his LinkedIn page, Bouzy started out as a computer service technician and founded several firms prior to setting up Bot Sentinel.[4] In the 2000s, Bouzy developed the encryption software Cloak, which 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.[3] Bouzy also ran a dating website called IfSolo and a "peer-to-peer rewards network" known as Bytecent.[2]
Around 2016, Bouzy started teaching himself about machine learning algorithms.[3] He founded Bot Sentinel in 2018,[5] being inspired to do so by the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[3]
Bouzy gained significant public attention through his appearance in the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which chronicles the lives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex.[4][6] In the docuseries, Bouzy discusses the findings of Bot Sentinel, which played a crucial role in uncovering coordinated online hate campaigns against Meghan Markle. His analysis revealed that a significant portion of the hateful and defamatory content directed at Meghan originated from a small number of highly active accounts. Bouzy's work highlighted the extent of the online abuse faced by Meghan, attributing much of it to organized troll networks and bot accounts.[7][6]
In February 2023, Bouzy launched Spoutible, a Twitter-like social media platform.[2]
Legal issues
In October 2022, attorney and anti-Amber Heard YouTuber[3][2] Nathaniel Broughty filed a lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court in New Jersey, alleging that he had been incorrectly flagged by Bot Sentinel and defamed by Bouzy.[8] According to Broughty's complaint, Bouzy tweeted that Broughty "went from being the son of two crackheads, a drug dealer, a cop, and a prosecutor, to attacking journalists and me on social media", falsely asserted that he was not a real lawyer, derided him as a "Twitter troll and YouTube grifter", and alleged he had admitted to planting evidence on a suspect when he worked as a police officer. Bouzy filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.[2] The lawsuit was dismissed in August 2023, with the judge ruling that Broughty's complaint had failed to allege he had been intentionally lied about with the intention of harming him.[9]
In 2023, Bouzy was a co-defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by conspiracy theorist Jason Goodman. The lawsuit stemmed from Bouzy allegedly insinuating that Goodman might be guilty of sexual assault.[2][10] The allegation arose after Goodman admitted in a recorded phone call that someone had accused him of sexually assaulting a model. The case was dismissed with prejudice in 2024, and the judge imposed a filing injunction barring any future filings by Goodman against Bouzy in the district without first obtaining leave of court.[10]
Personal life
Bouzy lives in North Bergen, New Jersey, with his wife and son.[2] He also has a daughter.[3] Bouzy and his family have received harassment due to his work on Bot Sentinel.[3] In November 2022, an anonymous tipster emailed the North Bergen police, claiming that a child was screaming in Bouzy's home; the officers dispatched to investigate concluded that Bouzy was the victim of a false report.[2]
Bouzy's 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.[3]
References
- ^ Christopher Bouzy [@cbouzy] (May 22, 2021). "BREAKING: I turned 46 today and Matt Gaetz is going through some things" (Tweet). Retrieved December 27, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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.
This earned him the wrath of several pro-Depp partisans who were attracting big audiences by commenting on the trial. Among the enraged was a YouTuber named Nathaniel Broughty, a lawyer and former police officer who dismissed Bot Sentinel as "a paid propaganda" firm in Heard's employ.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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.
One anti-Heard YouTuber, NateTheLawyer...
- ^ a b c Wace, Charlotte (December 7, 2022). "Who is Christopher Bouzy in the Harry and Meghan Netflix trailer?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Christopher Bouzy appears in "Harry & Meghan" Netflix docuseries". Hello! Magazine. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Toutant, Charles (November 4, 2022). "An Attorney Who Was Labeled a 'Twitter Troll' Has Lawyered Up". New Jersey Law Journal. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Maher, Jake (August 7, 2023). "'Nate The Lawyer' Loses NJ Defamation Suit Over Trolling". Law360. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Analisa, Torres (February 8, 2024). "Case 1:21-cv-10878-AT-JLC" (PDF). Bot Sentinel. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.