Over the years, Twitter users have filed complaints about receiving spammy and inauthentic messages from bot accounts. This situation led to Twitter shutting down several bot accounts. But despite the obvious actions, bots still exist on the app as they can operate legally within specified rules. However, nefarious bots are on the rise again, necessitating caution. Therefore, learning how to stop bots from following you on Twitter is pertinent.
There are so many disadvantages to having affiliations with bot accounts. They could steal your data and serve as channels for hackers to access your information. These bots can also send you several messages carrying misleading information. Therefore, learning to identify and keep them at arm’s length is best. So, I’ll tell you how to stop Twitter bots from following you.
What Are Bots on Twitter? A Concise Explanation
Most internet users have general knowledge of bots. But some may wonder if Twitter bots are the same as those on the internet. Thus, people ask, “What are bots on Twitter?” Bots on Twitter are a specific kind of internet software bot that can control Twitter accounts through the API. Hence, bots make up fake accounts on Twitter, aka X, as no actual users are handling them.
So, machines control these accounts through automation. You may wonder if Twitter permits the existence of bot accounts. The simple answer is yes. Bots that adhere to the corporation’s automation rules are legal. However, if they break the rules, Twitter will suspend the account.
These automation rules prevent bots from committing spam that may affect Twitter’s algorithm. Legal bot accounts often carry an indication in their bio to reveal their authenticity to real Twitter users. Twitter has automated labels for such accounts.
However, not all automated accounts use the label to indicate their status. Thus, it becomes necessary for you to pay attention if you want to identify them. Luckily, there are several things you can look out for to get a clue of an account’s authenticity. Carefully scrutinize the profile to determine whether a human or a bot is behind an account.
Most bot accounts lack Twitter profile headers or pictures and bios. For the few that have pictures, they are ingenuine. They promote spammy content and sometimes have language and grammatical errors. Sometimes, they post too frequently and at specific intervals. These are some of the telltale signs you should be wary of.
How Do Bots Work on Twitter? Understanding Bot Activities
Since bots are becoming prevalent on Twitter, it’s normal for people to wonder how they function. In a quest for understanding, a common question is, “How do bots work on Twitter?”Bots function in different ways according to their kind. These Twitter software bots carry out several tasks on X accounts through automation.
They can autonomously follow and unfollow accounts, send and reply to direct messages, and like tweets. These bots can also post tweets and retweet user-generated content on Twitter. Though bots are fake accounts, some carry out helpful activities. Such useful bots are the positive ones. Their functions include activities like sharing health tips and giving real-time weather forecasts. Some bots post Twitter polls and engage in super follows.
Some brands even use bots to send automatic replies through their customer care account. In such instances, Twitter bots enable such brands to provide round-the-clock support to their users, which makes for excellent service.
But the fact that some bots are helpful doesn’t mean all are. Certain bots are negative. These kinds are malicious and can circulate political propaganda, phishing, hacking, and performing shady internet activities. Negative bots go against Twitter’s automation policies and sometimes invade user privacy. As such, they are a cause for concern.
Regardless of the purpose of Twitter bot accounts, they’re all fake. So, despite wanting to grow your account, bots are bad for business and can lead to Twitter banning your account. Luckily, it’s difficult for bots to randomly follow people on Twitter unless the user buys Twitter followers. So, when implementing Twitter growth strategies, avoid buying followers from agencies with low reputations. That’s one of the methods for how to stop Twitter bots from following you.
How Many Bots Are on Twitter? The Rate of Automation on X
Do you want to know how many bots are on Twitter? This knowledge will give you an idea of what you’re up against. However, getting the total number of bots on Twitter isn’t easy, as more keep springing up daily. After all, creating a bot isn’t difficult.
With a developer account, you can create a project, fix the settings, generate access tokens, program, and test the bot. So, with a developer account, almost anyone can create a bot account, hence the rampancy. Additionally, Twitter bots have been a long-standing issue.
Because of these, it is presently difficult to predict the exact number of bots on Twitter. However, the fact that there are many is clear. In 2014, Twitter admitted that 8.5% of standard and professional Twitter accounts belonged to bots. Going by the number of Twitter users at the time, the percentage accounts for about 23 million accounts.
Three years later, in 2017, another report disclosed that Twitter had 9 to 15% bot accounts. Going by calculations, that’s a range of 28.7 to 47.9 million Twitter profiles. Although Twitter shut down some accounts controlled by automation in 2018, millions of active bot accounts still exist.
Suppose you’re wondering why; consider that Twitter permits good bots’ activities. But good or bad, they’re still bots all the same. Current reports show that fewer than 5% of Twitter’s Monetizable Daily Active Users are spam bots. However, they tweet a lot, making it appear like the percentage is higher. But with Twitter’s current population of 528.3 million, there are many bots. Therefore, you should learn how to stop Twitter bots from following you by avoiding them.
Why Are Bots Following Me on Twitter? The Reason for Their Existence
“Why are bots following me on Twitter?” is one of the most asked questions on public platforms like Reddit and Quora. Several Twitter users have complained bitterly about bot activities on the platform now known as X. But it’s important to understand the origin of the issue before procuring solutions. So here are the reasons why bots follow people on Twitter.
To Increase Follower Count
Most times, bots follow real Twitter users when they buy followers. Purchasing followers is an attempt to spur growth on Twitter, but in this regard, it does more harm than good. Though some sites sell fake Twitter followers, you must note that not all are part of this scheme.
Sites with fake followers often consist of fake accounts, spam bots, inactive accounts, and eggheads. Most of the time, these sites aren’t credible, and people patronize them because they lack attention to detail. So, before buying followers from any website, you should research them.
Check for customer reviews, where you’ll see feedback and complaints and read information about the company and its privacy policy. Generally, keep your eyes on the ground to pick out any fishy sign. But, ask for referrals if you don’t have time for investigative duties and would like to buy followers immediately. You’ll be sure to get trustworthy agencies.
To Perform Designated Responsibilities
But the above is not to say that bots follow only those who buy followers because they can follow anyone. Bot accounts work by automation; therefore, they can carry out Twitter activities like regular humans, depending on their programming. Developers program most bots to follow people as a basic action on X or Twitter.
So, bots can follow anyone in a bid to achieve their purpose. Good bots follow people to expand their reach and pass information to a wider audience. On the other hand, spam bots seek a wider avenue for their actions or to promote certain products. Hackers also use phishing bots to follow people and commit phishing crimes to steal valuable personal information.
Political bots also follow people to publicize false information. So, different bots have different missions, which they are all actively working towards. Notably, establishing contact with people is the major way to fulfill their purpose. That’s why they follow real people on the social media platform Twitter.
How To Stop Bots From Following You on Twitter Forever: Ending the Charade
No one wants bots to follow them, as they cause more harm than good. They’re just a bunch of eggheads posting inappropriate content and promoting stuff that you don’t need. Even worse, they offer no form of Twitter engagement and can cause Twitter to shadowban your account. They indeed give quantity but without quality. So, here are instructions on how to stop Twitter bots from following you.
Don’t Buy Twitter Followers From Unreputable Sites
If you want to avoid Twitter bots, you should stay away from unreputable sites. This tip isn’t to say that you shouldn’t buy followers. Rather, you should be careful of where you buy from. There are trustworthy and credible sites to patronize.
However, it’s best if you can avoid buying followers in its entirety. There are better ways to grow your Twitter follower count. You can learn about organic Twitter growth strategies and implement them. Aside from that, other tips include posting engaging content, using trending X hashtags, and discussing relevant topics. Such tips can spur your growth on the platform while increasing interaction and improving your Twitter engagement rate.
Create a Private Profile
When you create a Twitter account, it is set to public by default. However, anyone can follow you and view your posts in this mode. But you can control who or what follows you on Twitter by switching to a private profile. If your profile is private, other users must send a request to follow you. Thus, they can only follow you when you approve their request.
If you have a private Twitter profile, you can analyze the accounts that request to follow you. During your analysis, watch for signs of bot accounts. When you spot any bot request, decline it immediately.
Report Bot Activity to Twitter
Another preventive measure to take is to report any bot account you encounter. However, this entails observing bot activity and then laying a complaint. Even if a bot doesn’t follow you, you can report any such profile you encounter.
When you do, Twitter’s team will look into the matter. If the bot violates the company’s automation policies or disrupts user experience, X will handle it. Twitter, aka X, may delete the account or ban it.
Block the Accounts
While most are preventive measures, this is a curative measure as you can only block Twitter accounts that follow you. So, if an automated account is harassing you with messages or dubious links, you can block them.
Twitter will not notify the account of your action. So, the bot will no longer be able to send messages, retweet, or reply to your tweets. Any bot account you block will forever be unable to disturb you unless you unblock it.
Mass Remove Bot Accounts
If several bot accounts are on your list, constituting fake followers, reporting or blocking each would be difficult. It may take weeks to handle them all, even with consistency and dedication. Of course, you don’t have all the time in the world to spend eradicating bots.
So, in this instance, your best option is mass removing them with the help of a third-party tool. That’s the best method to learn how to stop bots from following you on Twitter. Thankfully, it’s as easy as mass deleting your tweets. If you’re wondering about the perfect tool for the job, don’t worry; we’ve invented an efficient web application at TweetEraser. This app loads, imports, and deletes tweets, followers, and archives efficiently without spreading promotional information. Start filtering and cleaning your Twitter timeline today!
