Massive Pro-Trump Bot Network Carrying out Online Attacks on GOP Rivals Discovered

[Photo Credit: by Gage Skidmore]

During the last 11 months, an unknown entity has now reportedly built many thousands of false, automated Twitter accounts to promote Donald Trump.

The bogus accounts mocked Trump’s detractors from both parties and attacked Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador who is challenging her former boss for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

When it came to Ron DeSantis, the bots aggressively claimed that while he couldn’t beat Trump, he would make an excellent running mate.

The bots have targeted former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, as well as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is largely seen as Trump’s most formidable 2024 opponent despite having yet to enter the campaign.

According to the researchers, hundreds of thousands of bots from three separate networks of Twitter accounts may be engaged.

According to the study, the accounts were established in April, October, and November 2022.

The patterns in an account’s profile, as well as its follower list and postings, were used to detect bots, which typically produce “repetitive content on the same themes,” according to the paper.

According to the researchers, one indicator of bot effect is the amount of postings regarding a topic made by bogus accounts.

The number is in the low single digits for a typical topic, but roughly three-quarters of the unfavorable posts about Haley were written by false accounts, according to the research.

The bots have also concentrated on spreading the notion that DeSantis would be better suited to serve as Trump’s running mate in 2024 than as president.

Who or what is behind the fake accounts remains unknown, as is the question of whether the Trump campaign has any knowledge of the bot network’s activities.

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