Cambridge's COTSI reveals global bot prices: A new index tracks fake account verification costs on 500+ platforms. Verifying fake accounts is notably cheap in the US (0.26), UK (0.10), and Russia (0.08), while pricier in Japan (4.93) and Australia (3.24). Prices surge for bots on Telegram and WhatsApp before elections, indicating manipulation intentions. The study emphasizes sim card regulation to curb bots and suggests transparency measures are often circumvented. It exposes a burgeoning underground market reliant on SIM products for orchestrating misinformation and influence campaigns globally.
Price of a ‘bot Army’ Revealed Across Hundreds of Online Platforms Worldwide
