Twitter Officially Launches Labels To Identify the 'Good Bots'

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Twitter last fall introduced a new label that would allow what it calls the 'good bots' on its service to identify themselves. While the word 'bot' can often have a negative connotation, Twitter noted there were useful bots, too, which were automatically tweeting out useful information like Covid-19 updates, earthquake alerts, bills being introduced in Congress, and more. These 'good bot' labels, which had been in testing with a small group, are now publicly available to all automated account holders.

As during tests, the Twitter accounts that label themselves as bots will display this information on their Twitter profile. Underneath the account's name and @username, a small, robot icon appears next to the words 'Automated by' followed by the name of the account's operator. The Twitter bio, meanwhile, will detail the bot's purpose. When the bots tweet, their automated status will also be visible in users' timelines. Twitter says this information will help users to decide which accounts to follow, engage with and trust. The feature is today available to automated accounts that use the Twitter API. But Twitter says there is no auditing of the system for now.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.