X is adding another element to its ongoing fight against bot accounts, with a new liveness check option that will provide another means to test suspect accounts and make them prove they’re being managed by a human.
When X’s systems detect activity that suggests an account may be run by a bot, it sends a liveness check to that profile, which requests that the user either submit a selfie video or use Face ID or Touch ID to prove they’re human.
Soon, X users will also be able to use hand motion check, which will instruct users to simply wave a hand in front of their camera to prove they're human.
That could be a less intrusive way to verify human-ness and pass X’s bot checks. At the same time, X is developing a new age-checking process, powered by Grok, in order to align with evolving age restriction regulations in some regions. The platform also maintains a relationship with third-party ID verification partner Au10tix to enable access to certain elements.
Battling bot accounts was one of Elon Musk’s key tenets when he initially took over the app formerly known as Twitter. Musk said at the time that he would rid the platform of bots “or die trying” as part of his early crusade.
Yet various reports have indicated that, if anything, the platform’s bot problem has worsened during Musk’s tenure.
The company’s own launch of Grok bot accounts potentially exacerbated the problem, and the evolution of artificial intelligence tools led to a re-framing of bot accounts as being potentially good.
Meta, for example, previously floated the idea of launching millions of AI bot profiles across its apps to juice in-stream engagement and keep its human users posting.
However, the shifting approach to automated posting has muddied the waters around the impact of bot accounts, and they may not be as big of a problem as they once were.
Either way, X is still exploring its bot-battling options as the app works to maintain at least some level of human activity.
