Happy Monday. My name is David Meyer and I’m going to be regularly writing the Data Sheet lead essay, so, pleased to meet you. A bit about me: I’m a South African who’s lived in Berlin for 11 years and was in the U.K. for 13 years before that; I’ve been a tech journalist for most of my career; and I also front an alternative-rock band called The Board, so expect the odd musical reference here and there. Right, then—on with the show!
Twitter bots get a bad rap sometimes, which is understandable, given that many of these automated accounts were created to spew spam, manipulate opinion, and/or harass people. Their prevalence on the platform also makes it difficult to establish just how many of Twitter’s accounts represent real people, as owner and CEO Elon Musk repeatedly mentioned during last year’s tempestuous takeover.
