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| Twitter has started testing stickers for bot accounts |
Twitter has introduced a new feature that allows accounts to identify themselves as a bot by adding tags to the account.
This feature is designed to help users better distinguish automated accounts (such as retweets, PSAs, or other updated bots) from human-managed accounts.
However, this feature is not designed to help users identify "bad bots" who appear to be human and often spread misinformation or spam.
The company has been thinking about grading robots for years. In 2018, at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, the company's CEO, Jack Dorsey, was asked if he thought users had a right to know whether they were talking to bots on the platform or with people.
Dorsey agrees that the platform should add more context to tweets and plans to identify bots as much as possible.
However, Dorsey also noted that when compared to bots that use the platform's API, it can be difficult to identify bots that use scripts to represent human appearance.
The company backed these plans last year, saying that it will later introduce new features that will allow users to differentiate between manual management and bot accounts.
When the platform launched its account verification system in May. It's a reminder to users that in addition to the long-awaited blue badge, it will soon offer other ways to identify different types of accounts, such as bot ratings.
Twitter has started testing stickers for bot accounts
The platform now says that a new "bot account" tag that identifies "good bots" can be used by more than 500 developer accounts. The team tests the functionality and provides feedback before making it publicly available to all Twitter developers. Since it is currently still in the testing phase, it will not take a single day.
However, when the platform updated its development policy last year. Forces the developer to indicate in the account or profile if the account is a bot. What is the account and who is behind it.
These account names make it easier for developers to comply with this policy. There is no need to manually fill in this information in your resume.
Twitter said, "Based on what we've learned from that experience. We may decide to adopt the naming as a requirement for all developers who manage bot accounts in the future. Once it becomes publicly available."
The platform is not a problem for well-functioning bots. In fact, they understand how automation enables accounts to provide useful, relevant and sometimes interesting information.
The company celebrated some of its favorite bots when it announced developer news, including an account for its public earthquake service, an account with updates on the coronavirus, an account with an ongoing breakdown of 100 bills recently, and other bot accounts adding value in their own way.