#bot hunter

i’m worried, and I hope this is just a blank blog, but oh dear… it seems to me like the bots are actually starting to comment in posts and trying to act like humans. [this is on a Clangen comic post]

if you check the #gravity falls tag there are lots of bots in the comments of the top posts too. you can tell by the default pfp, weird grammar / saying things that aren’t related to the post, and clicking on their profile leads you to a blank blog. Of course some of these are real people! it’s very hard to tell though, even for me.

This seems to be a new thing, unless I just haven’t noticed it.

Stay safe online everyone !!

EDIT: FOUND 2 MORE. (These are both on a gravity falls post, one seems unrelated to the post completely, and the other seems to be a stolen comment)

Having trouble? Unsure if your followers are bots or not? Don’t worry, and read this handy post! Firstly, the most common kinda of bots are the pornographic type. These bots are made using scripts owners of dodgy websites have bought. At least 20 of them may follow you every day due to the newest bot wave. Their purpose is to get people to click on the links they attach to posts or in reblogs, which lead them to dodgy porn sites very likely filled with a million viruses waiting to infect your device.

So here’s some tips on checking whether it’s a BOT or NOT!

Firstly, check the blog’s name. If it’s a string of random words together, such as the example provided below, it’s very likely a bot. Another one is when the blog’s name is a random name and a bunch of numbers behind it, such as emily1863.

This is an example of a porn bot’s blog.

Another very important thing to check is the profile avatar / icon. If it is the default tumblr avatar show below, or a suggestive picture of a girl / guy (although it’s usually pictures of girls), it’s another sign that it’s a bot.

Here are some default tumblr avatar examples.

Next, check the posts. Are they posting links to other websites with suggestive / inappropriate thumbnails or just links in general in unrelated tags? It’s a bot. OR are they completely empty, with no posts at all? It’s likely that this one is a new bot that hasn’t posted yet. People call these blank blogs, and sometimes they are new users who haven’t posted, or lurkers. I’ll make a more detailed post on them later.

Here’s an example of a bot’s posts. Notice the tags, especially. They are all innocent looking tags, mostly for fandoms and I don’t even want to ask why they put it in the bread tag. It seems to me that these bots take random trending tags and post in them.

Common tags these bots reside in are the lgbt tags, mostly the #aromantic and #asexual tags (why are they posting porn bots in these? the people here literally don’t want to have sex!) and #transgender.

however, they can be found in pretty much any popular tag if you scroll long enough.

Okay, so I’ve found a bot. WHAT DO I DO???

A simple answer is to block so you don’t have to see them anymore, but it's not the best method. If you just block them, they will still stay on the site and clog up people’s dashboards.

instead, here's a better way. you should report AND block! That way, these bots’ accounts will be removed from tumblr!

how to report / block? Here’s a picture guide!

click on the 3 dots on the side of a post.

when you report you’ll be led to this page.

Please report them for spam / bot, NOT sexually explicit material. Reporting them for explicit content will simply get them shadow banned, but their blogs will still be accessible somehow. Also because it’s more spam when they are posting in unrelated tags.

but if you report them for spam, these blogs will be deleted! Hooray!

another great thing is you can flag and block them at the same time, as seen in the image above! Killing two birds with one stone!

I hope this mini guide helped you guys! Oh, and one more thing.

PLEASE DONT CLICK ON ANY LINK THESE BOTS SEND! THEY USUALLY CONTAIN MALWARE OR THEY COULD LOCK YOU OUT OF YOUR TUMBLR AND TURN THE ACC INTO A BOT ACC!