Twitter has updated its Developer Policy to ensure that all bots are labelled, even if they are “high-quality” bots that enhance people’s experiences.
The social media giant noted that “not all bots are bad,” and that high-quality bots can actually be useful for accounts that use Twitter’s tools to post automatically.
Twitter notes that its new policy asks that developers clearly indicate in their account bio or profile if they are operating a bot account. They must also indicate what the account is, and who the person behind it is, so it’s easier for users on Twitter to know what is and isn’t a bot.
The platform also clarified that a non-bot account is one where a human is always manually creating, publishing, and interacting with tweets or direct messages, and that “an API-based bot account is one where these behaviors are automated in some way through our API.”
Some bot accounts are used to spread spam or try to manipulate conversations. However, there are also several bot accounts on Twitter that are helpful. This includes the accounts that post alerts if there has been an earthquake in an area.
Other bot accounts serve as healthy reminders to drink water every hour or to take a walk. This latest change from Twitter shows that it’s not trying to get rid of the good bots, and instead just wants them to be labelled.
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