IU Bloomington Newsroom

Indiana University (IU) researchers have developed BotOrNot, software that helps users determine whether a Twitter account is operated by a human or an automated social bot. The researchers say the program is based on technology designed to counter misinformation and deception campaigns. BotOrNot simultaneously analyzes more than 1,000 features from a user's friendship network, their Twitter content, and temporal information. The system then calculates the likelihood the account may or may not be a bot. "We have applied a statistical learning framework to analyze Twitter data, but the 'secret sauce' is in the set of more than 1,000 predictive features able to discriminate between human users and social bots, based on content and timing of their tweets, and the structure of their networks," says IU professor Alessandro Flammini. To read further, please visit http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2014/05/twitter-botornot.shtml.