Twitter users say they’re being bombarded with more spam than ever before, despite Elon Musk’s promise to “beat the bots.”
Anecdotally, there have been reports of a sharp increase in phishing message volume since the eccentric billionaire bought the company for $44 billion in October.
Users have shared snapshots of their inboxes filled with fake accounts offering them free nude pics, cryptocurrency opportunities, and job offers.
There are also complaints about the “unusually high number of ads” that is enough for some users to leave the platform – users claim there is “one ad for every two or three tweets”.
Musk has made taking action against bots on the site one of his guiding principles, along with stamping out vigilance and championing free speech.
But when Musk laid off 1,200 technicians and engineers in November, eyebrows were raised at how Twitter would work.
Twitter users are frustrated by the number of spam messages in their Direct Message inboxes — and many blame Elon Musk
Recent news showed that more than 500 advertisers paused their contracts with Twitter, causing the platform’s daily revenue to fall 40 percent on Jan. 17 from what was reported at the same time last year.
And the pauses may have caused Musk to up the show from advertisers who haven’t already bailed out.
While ads can be annoying, spam bots are a bigger problem as they take advantage of users to steal their credentials or money.
Musk is aware that Twitter has bots — he tried to cut the deal to buy Twitter over the issue.
However, the Chief Twit has been silent on the subject for the past few months and users are starting to get restless.
spoke to a user from New York: “I see at least one spam message every day, most of which are pro-crypto.
“There are also jobs where I can make thousands of dollars a day doing nothing.
“And several people in the message.”
Another user told : “It reminds me of the robocalls spamming my phone daily and makes me feel like the bot issue is getting out of control on Twitter. Up until a few months ago I never received such messages.’.
Twitter user “Zac” posted on the platform: “Yo @elonmusk I’ve been getting inundated with spam messages lately. Has anything changed to allow these guys to sneak in undetected?”
Another, dubbed “Little Peepo,” tweeted, “I’ve been getting so many more goddamn crypto spam since Elon put his unwashed disgusting fleshy fingers on this godforsaken platform.”
There are two types of spam bots lurking on the platform: good bots and bad bots.
Twitter defines good spam bots as automated accounts that “help people find useful, fun, and relevant information.”
One of those good bots is @pikaso_me, which takes a screenshot of your tweet and crops it perfectly so you don’t have to.
The news features free nude pics, cryptocurrency opportunities, and job listings
Twitter is now being inundated with tweets from users showing the extent of spam messages in their inboxes
Another is @tinycarebot which reminds users of daily activities they may have forgotten such as B. drinking water throughout the day.
While governments, corporations or bad actors use the latter for various nefarious purposes – and these seem to be widespread on Twitter.
Musk has made taking action against bots on the site one of his guiding principles, along with stamping out vigilance and championing free speech
These bots spread hate speech, promote misinformation, or attempt to steal your personal information.
And while spam bots have always lived on the social media platform, since Musk acquired them, they seem to have by the hundreds.
While you may think the war against bots is a dead end, there are steps you can take to shut down your DMs.
Launch the Twitter app and tap your account icon at the top of the screen, then Settings & Support, then Settings & Privacy.
Once you have completed these steps, select Privacy & Security and tap Direct Messages.
Uncheck Allow message requests from everyone by swiping the button to the left and the bots should be blocked.
On the other hand, the flood of ads has become indispensable.
While you may think the war against bots is a dead end, there are steps you can take to shut down your DMs. Uncheck Allow message requests from everyone by swiping the button to the left and the bots should be blocked
spoke to a New York user who said he received at least four spam messages every day. Here’s a screenshot of her inbox
is the be-all and end-all of Twitter, and with hundreds of companies retiring or pausing their contracts, Musk appears to be doubling down on revenue generation.
In the first quarter of 2022, Twitter generated revenue of $1.2 billion – or the equivalent of $13.3 million per day.
Advertisers were spooked by the company’s mass layoffs and Musk’s rush to implement a paid verification feature, prompting scammers to pose as the company on Twitter.
The social media platform also recently reversed its 2019 ban on political advertising.
Musk is aware that Twitter has bots — he tried to cut the deal to buy Twitter over the issue
On the other hand, the flood of ads has become indispensable. is the be-all and end-all of Twitter, and with hundreds of companies retiring or pausing their contracts, Musk appears to be doubling down on revenue generation
The platform said it would relax cause-based advertising policies in the United States and align its advertising policies with television and other media.
In November, Musk admitted there had been problems with ad revenue, telling his followers, “Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue because activist groups have been pressuring advertisers, even though content moderation hasn’t changed, and we’ve done everything we can ‘to appease the activists.’
He added: “Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy freedom of speech in America.’
However, users feel they are paying for Musk’s glitches.
Many are frustrated because ads take up a significant chunk of their timeline, preventing them from seeing as many tweets from accounts they follow.