The rise of bots on X (formerly Twitter) has become a significant concern for users and the platform alike. These fake accounts not only clutter feeds with irrelevant or harmful content but also manipulate follower counts and engagement metrics. Despite the platform’s efforts, managing this invasion requires users to take proactive steps to protect their digital space.
Here are some effective strategies you can implement to minimize disruptions caused by bots on your X account.
Strategies to Combat Bots on X
1. Activate ‘Protect Posts’
This feature is akin to making your account private on other social platforms. By activating “Protect posts,” you ensure that only users you approve can follow you and see your posts. This can significantly reduce the number of bot interactions.
- How to Activate:
- Navigate to Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Security > Audience and Tagging > Enable ‘Protect your Tweets’.
2. Turn Off Photo Tagging
To prevent bots from tagging you in spam images and posts, disable photo tagging for users you don’t follow. This helps maintain the integrity of your profile and reduces spam interactions.
- Steps to Disable:
- Go to Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Security > Audience and Tagging > Photo Tagging and select “Only people you follow can tag you”.
3. Activate the Quality Filter
This feature helps filter out low-quality content from your notifications, reducing the visibility of spam and potentially harmful material propagated by bots.
- Activation Path:
- Settings > Notifications > Filters > Enable ‘Quality Filter’.
4. Manage Notification Settings
Adjust your notification settings to exclude interactions from new or unverified accounts, which are often bots.
- Configuration Steps:
- Settings > Notifications > Filters > Muted Notifications and select parameters such as “mute notifications from accounts that haven’t confirmed their email”.
5. Disable Viewing ‘Sensitive’ Content
Many bots use shocking or sensitive content to grab attention. Disabling the display of such content can improve your overall experience and reduce interactions with bot-generated content.
- How to Disable:
- Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Security > Content You See > Disable ‘Show media that may contain sensitive material’.
6. Block and Report Bots
While more time-consuming, manually blocking and reporting bots can help clean up your feed and alert the platform to take action against these accounts.
- Procedure:
- Click on the three dots on a bot’s profile, select ‘Block’ or ‘Report’ for spam or misleading behavior.
Conclusion
Although bots are a pervasive problem on X and other social networks, implementing these strategies can help shield your account from the majority of unwanted interactions. While the platform continues to develop more robust solutions to combat bot activity, users must use available tools to maintain a cleaner, more enjoyable social media environment.
