The ongoing Elon Twitter saga: "insert demographic" melts down

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Soldato
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I know that it is bad practise to judge something based on a snippet but from your screenshot, this sounds like they are spending over half the amount on a temporary measure (buying food to give to people) that doesn't seem to actually fix the core issue. Since it doesn't address the core issue the problem will arise again in a few months and then they will be asking for another $6 billion. Rinse and repeat

The old adage of give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime springs to mind.

Also with inflation and the looming food crisis that $6 billion ain't going far.
 
Soldato
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It wasn't an educated guess, it was an estimate based on a statistical sample.

@BowdonUK said 'now it's looking like there is more.' That might be true, but what evidence is it based on?
The story was all over the media for a few days even giving higher percentages.

A quick google I found this article from May 16th;

Twitter buy on hold; Musk cites fake account, ‘spam bot’ issues
https://journalrecord.com/2022/05/16/twitter-buy-on-hold-musk-cites-fake-account-spam-bot-issues/

DETROIT (AP) – Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has put his plan to buy Twitter on what he called a temporary “hold,” raising fresh doubts about whether he’ll proceed with the $44 billion acquisition.

Musk tweeted early Friday that he wanted to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform. He has been vocal about his desire to clean up Twitter’s problem with “spam bots” that mimic real people, and he appeared to question whether Twitter was underreporting them.

Just in case people are going to question that source, here is Reuters writing about it;

Do spam bots really comprise under 5% of Twitter users? Elon Musk wants to know
https://www.reuters.com/technology/...witter-users-elon-musk-wants-know-2022-05-13/

May 13 (Reuters) - Since 2013, Twitter has downplayed the spread of fake accounts on its platform, holding that "false or spam" accounts make up less than 5% of its user base even as independent researchers said the number could be three times higher.

That discrepancy could now affect the outcome of Elon Musk's $44 billion cash deal after the billionaire tweeted on Friday that the takeover bid was "temporarily on hold" while he sought information about the number of phony Twitter accounts.

Researchers estimate that anywhere from 9% to 15% of the millions of Twitter profiles are automated accounts, or bots, based on one early study, from 2017, and more recent research from a firm that monitors online conversations.

"They have underestimated that number," said Dan Brahmy, CEO of the Israeli tech company Cyabra that uses machine learning to identify fake accounts.

Cyabra estimates the percentage of inauthentic Twitter profiles at 13.7%.
 
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The story was all over the media for a few days even giving higher percentages.

A quick google I found this article from May 16th;

Not to say you're wrong, but the evidence you provided didn't even say what you claimed.

It said...


he appeared to question whether Twitter was underreporting them.

Appeared to

Hardly the proof that was being asked for don't you agree?
 
Caporegime
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The story was all over the media for a few days even giving higher percentages.

A quick google I found this article from May 16th;

Twitter buy on hold; Musk cites fake account, ‘spam bot’ issues
https://journalrecord.com/2022/05/16/twitter-buy-on-hold-musk-cites-fake-account-spam-bot-issues/



Just in case people are going to question that source, here is Reuters writing about it;

Do spam bots really comprise under 5% of Twitter users? Elon Musk wants to know
https://www.reuters.com/technology/...witter-users-elon-musk-wants-know-2022-05-13/

OK, so no real evidence, just different estimates from people who don't actually work for Twitter.
 
Permabanned
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I'm really not sure how Twitter is assuming the amount of spam bots there is on their network. If its about 5% with a pure guess then that's ok but if they can get a precise nummber % then they could easy stop the bots from signup. There are mesures now that enables you to stop fake signups.
 
Soldato
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OK, so no real evidence, just different estimates from people who don't actually work for Twitter.
When I posted that last night I knew when I woke up this morning you'd dismiss it. It's funny how you'll accept anything that agrees with you. But won't accept anything less than you personally and physically seeing the figures.

I'll ask those companies to let you sit in their office to tell you how they worked out their percentages eh?

Seriously, you can use your line on any subject because none of us actually see the evidence of news ourselves. It's a convenient excuse.

I don't know what you think the story is about if you don't think its what you're being told?
 
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Can't believe they used a sample size of 100 to gage the number of bots... That's just insane.

CEO making excuses on Twitter was fairly amusing though, don't know if Elon is going to get a realistic answer with regard to the true number, or least one he will be satisfied with.

Twitter as been manipulating the figures for years.

Now, like the allies closing in on Berlin, Twitter is trying to destroy the evidence.
Just confirming everything most users suspected.

Sounds like a great place to work though, 4 hours a week... :cry:
 
Soldato
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I'm really not sure how Twitter is assuming the amount of spam bots there is on their network. If its about 5% with a pure guess then that's ok but if they can get a precise nummber % then they could easy stop the bots from signup. There are mesures now that enables you to stop fake signups.

I'm not sure Twitter, or any social media for that matter, could give a definitive figure on the number of fake/bot accounts so at best it's still going to be a ballpark figure.

Although what technologies/measures can be deployed to 100% prevent fake/bot signups?
I would have thought if they could do that then social media (it's not just a Twitter issue) wouldn't have this issue.

Can't believe they used a sample size of 100 to gage the number of bots... That's just insane.

Is there an official source to confirm this rather than Elon tweeting it?
Seems rather low if it is true :confused:
 
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I'm not sure Twitter, or any social media for that matter, could give a definitive figure on the number of fake/bot accounts so at best it's still going to be a ballpark figure.

Although what technologies/measures can be deployed to 100% prevent fake/bot signups?
I would have thought if they could do that then social media (it's not just a Twitter issue) wouldn't have this issue.

Is there an official source to confirm this rather than Elon tweeting it?
Seems rather low if it is true :confused:

Apparently Twitter Legal claimed he broke an NDA by releasing the information so I'm assuming it's true. No, just Elon's Tweets... Definitely not something they would want to share officially.
 
Soldato
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It's project veritas ,so 'context' sometimes needs to be applied.

I'd say it's very likely that right wing people do indeed tend to tolerate abuse and won't complain, and the left or at least the woke left will definitely complain at anything and so if Twitter just only censored based purely on complaints it'd also looked left bias'd without necessarily needing left leaning staff/policies.
 
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