X alerts users of potential follower reductions

X is alerting users to potential reductions in their follower counts as the company embarks on a sweeping crackdown to rid the platform of spammers and bots.

In an announcement from X’s Safety account, the company revealed plans for a “significant, proactive initiative” targeting accounts that violate X’s rules on platform manipulation and spam.

Today, we’re kicking off a significant, proactive initiative to eliminate accounts that violate our Rules against platform manipulation and spam. While we aim for accuracy in the accounts we remove, we’re casting a wide net to ensure X remains secure and free of bots. As a…

— Safety (@Safety) April 4, 2024

This move follows X’s recent appointments of Kylie McRoberts as Head of Safety and Yale Cohen as Head of Brand Safety and Advertiser Solutions.

The aim is to address the persistent issue of spam, which CEO Elon Musk has prioritized since November 2022.

However, combatting spam has proven challenging, especially with Twitter’s Trust & Safety team understaffed and the role of Head of Safety vacant for 10 months. Advances in AI have further complicated spam detection.

Despite previous efforts, such as requiring users to pay for Verification, spammers continue to exploit the platform.

Bots with Verified blue checks have been responding to posts with automated messages, while explicit spam promoting adult content has also surfaced.

Spam prevalence was a concern for Musk during negotiations for the Twitter deal. While boasting record traffic, it remains unclear whether these numbers include bots and spam.

In response, X’s Safety team will cast a wide net to remove spam and bots, potentially leading to follower count reductions. Users affected by the sweep can appeal through a provided form.