#bots

[feminist-space]

[meret118]

I got the Verification Required scam for the first time today. THIS ISN'T FROM TUMBLR. Report and block it if you get it.

ETA: I've gotten two more in the space of three hours this morning.

[va-draws]

A moment of light during the siege

[probablyasocialecologist]

The internet has passed a milestone nobody asked for — bots have quietly overtaken humans online

For the first time in history, bots are generating a larger share of web traffic than people, a milestone that is disappointing to many.

For the first time in history, bots are generating a larger share of web traffic than people are, a milestone that is disappointing to many. As TechSpot observed, the shift could affect everything from online shopping and search results to disinformation, cybersecurity, and the growing energy demand tied to artificial intelligence tools. When Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince announced that web traffic has officially crossed the threshold where bots are now ahead of humans overall, he revealed that even he didn't expect such a rapid transition. Prince wrote in a post on X that "that happened faster than I predicted," noting that he "thought it would be the end of 2027."

[...]

On Cloudflare Radar, a tool that estimates what fraction of web traffic is automated activity versus human, the current proportion of total traffic that is bot-driven is now 57.4% after rising as high as about 62% in early June.

17 June 2026

[cilil]

So today I got a rather unkind comment on AO3 (one could call it hate), but I believe it to be a bot for several reasons:

Guest account, but username attached

Said username exists but person is unlikely to be reading Tolkien fic (according to their Tumblr and AO3, they are in other fandoms)

Two grammatically correct sentences

Super generic text that could apply to any fic:

"I've seen better fanfiction written by a toddler. Get it together!"

I'm curious, did anyone else get comments like this? Let me know.

And to those who have gotten rude comments and are now worried/upset: Maybe it was just a bot too. Either way: You're awesome for putting your writing out there for others to enjoy and you don't deserve to get rude comments for it. If you want feel free to message me to compare cases and discuss details :)

[risingmoontide]

Pattern recognition of a far right Redditor posing as a 'centrist'

If you spend any time on Australian subreddits like r/aussie or r/AustralianPolitics, you've probably run into NoLeafClover777. On the surface, they position themselves as an everyday citizen just worried about housing, corporate greed, and wages. Accounts like this successfully weaponize the housing crisis and a genuine hatred for billionaire CEOs to smuggle a hard nationalist border policy into mainstream spaces. They get you angry, and then use that anger to make you vote against migration. It is highly effective, completely calculated, and the definition of a wolf in a "politically homeless" sheep's clothing.

Culture-War Outrage Farming

Accounts like this rely heavily on "dog-whistle" news articles to stir up tribalism and nationalist anxiety without having to explicitly state their own prejudices.

(The post itself drew significant skepticism and heavily contested voting ratios).

Running Defense for Coordinated Astroturfing

When a community starts noticing an influx of brand-new accounts or bots spamming anti-immigrant rhetoric, genuine users usually push for moderation. Bad-faith actors, however, will fiercely defend these accounts under the banner of "free speech."

The Left-Wing Shield (Economic Populism)

This is their primary weapon. To avoid being clocked as right-wing, they frame immigration entirely through the lens of class warfare, corporate greed, and billionaire exploitation. By using language that sounds inherently left-leaning, they get mainstream readers to nod along before slipping in the anti-immigration conclusion.

The "Politically Homeless" Centrist Routine

They start threads explicitly claiming to feel alienated by all major political parties. They mention voting for independent or minor environmental platforms (like the Sustainable Australia party) to look reasonable, neutral, and harmless.. Then they pull the rug.

Weaponizing Legitimate Political Cynicism

Instead of arguing from a place of prejudice, they point at broken pre-election promises regarding immigration numbers. This allows them to frame their anti-immigration stance as a completely rational, data-driven defence against political betrayal.

[dduane]

Delivery Robot Dogpiled on the Streets of Philly

One little bot learned the tagline "city of brotherly love" only applies to humans, not food delivery robots.

In the 30 second clip, the little bot is kicked, sat on, laughed at, and even humped by a crowd of onlookers as it prattles along to its destination. After escaping the crowd’s wrath, the robot ambles over past Dillon, who’s able to get a clear shot of graffiti reading “DESTROY ME PLZ” scrawled on its plastic chassis. “ROB HIM OF HIS COPPER IMMEDIATELY,” another enterprising Philadelphian commented.

(ETA @nudistcat: I can't resist.... but you came SO CLOSE to spelling that river's name right. :) Just one letter off...)