Current Events in September 2019

A federal appeals court has vacated a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule that would have liberalized media ownership rules.

In a 2-1 vote, the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the agency did not “adequately consider the effect its sweeping rule changes will have on ownership of broadcast media by women and racial minorities."

The court ruled against the FCC because it said it "cited no evidence whatsoever regarding gender diversity," the judges wrote. The FCC had previously stated that there was no available data on female media ownership.

The court said the FCC’s failure to address the impact on female ownership was egregious enough but added that the agency failed to properly consider the evidence of minority ownership.

Drastic changes

Rules covering radio and TV station ownership have changed drastically in the last 40 years. It was not that long ago that the FCC prevented one company from owning more than seven AM, FM, and TV stations, and none in the same market.

Today one company may own hundreds of stations, including multiple stations in a single market.

The FCC adopted a rule in 2017 that eliminated some of the cross-ownership rules, declaring that they had little effect on diversity of ownership. 

The court ruling also overturned a 2018 FCC order that created a special program to help new players in the broadcast industry. The court found that the FCC's definition of "new entrant" made "no overt reference to race, gender, or social disadvantage." 

The FCC says it plans to appeal the court’s ruling. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai complained that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has consistently assumed FCC authority, attempting to block the agency from modernizing broadcast regulations.

Consumers have been major contributors to economic growth this year, but their optimism appears to be waning a bit.

The Conference Board’s monthly Consumer Confidence Index, a gauge of how consumers feel about the economy, lost significant ground in September after a slight decline the month before. The index is a still-respectable 125, but it was 134.2 in August.

"Consumers were less positive in their assessment of current conditions and their expectations regarding the short-term outlook also weakened,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. 

Franco thinks the ongoing trade war with China and the escalation of tariffs at the end of August shook consumers’ confidence. Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, agrees with that assessment, adding that trade tensions have morphed into trade anxiety.

“The Index dropped significantly this month, which does not bode well for consumer spending, especially combined with the weakening numbers in the  Consumer Sentiment Index, which also pointed to worries over the trade situation,” Frick said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “The trade war ratcheted up significantly in both rhetoric and tariffs.”

More reliance on consumers

Frick says the fact that the manufacturing sector is contracting and the job market is softening means consumers are being relied upon even more to keep the economy moving.

“We'll see how this affects consumer spending in the months to come, though we may have had a taste of lower spending already--retail sales were flat in August after deducting for a surge in car sales,” Frick said.

Specifically, the Conference Board monthly survey found consumers' appraisal of current economic conditions is less favorable than it was a month before. There was a slight decrease in the number of consumers who said business conditions are “good” and a slight increase in those who said conditions were “bad.”

Questions about the job market

Consumers also seem to be more wary of employment conditions, with the percentage of those saying jobs are plentiful falling from 50.3 percent to 44.8 percent.

Franco says the erosion of confidence was not unexpected, especially in light of trade tensions. She says consumers’ confidence in the economy may have plateaued for the year.

“While confidence could continue hovering around current levels for months to come, at some point this continued uncertainty will begin to diminish consumers' confidence in the expansion,"  Franco said.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 5,495 model year 2019 Ram 2500, 3500 and 3500 Cab Chassis trucks.

The brake calipers may have been manufactured with an incorrect assembly fluid, which can cause the caliper's rubber seals to swell.

The swollen seals can cause the brakes to drag and potentially overheat, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front brake calipers and brake hoses and bleed the brakes free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin October 18, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800) 853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V98.

Microsoft has deployed an “emergency” security update for Windows 10 users following the discovery of a vulnerability in Internet Explorer. In a security advisory, the tech giant classified the flaw as a remote code vulnerability, meaning malicious code could be injected into a browser remotely by a hacker.

“The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user,” the company said. “An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could take control of an affected system.”

The flaw was discovered and reported to Microsoft by security engineer Clement Lecigne, a member of Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG). The vulnerability had already been exploited by attackers prior to its discovery.

“In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website, for example, by sending an email,” Microsoft warned.

Users urged to update immediately

Microsoft said the out-of-band security update it has issued, “addresses the vulnerability by modifying how the scripting engine handles objects in memory.” 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also issued a security advisory encouraging users to apply the necessary updates to prevent an affected system from being taken over by a remote attacker. 

Windows users are advised to install the updates right away. Microsoft’s security advisory includes links to the manual update packages. 

A Kansas man over 50 years old with preexisting health conditions died Monday from causes believed to be linked to vaping, bringing the total number of vaping-related deaths in the U.S. to nine.

The patient who died had begun using e-cigarettes just before his symptoms set in and hospitalization became necessary. Kansas health officials said they don’t know which type of e-cigarette product, device, and substances he used. 

In a press release announcing the latest fatality, officials from the state noted that the number of illnesses associated with vaping has now surpassed 500. Federal and state health officials are still investigating the cause of an outbreak of lung illnesses. 

“E-cigarettes are unregulated, which means that we don’t know what’s in them,” said Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman. “And, of great concern to me, is that in the midst of all these illnesses being reported, the amount of young people using them is significant.”

Cause of lung illnesses still under investigation

At this time, researchers suspect a chemical derived from vitamin E may be the underlying cause of some of the lung illnesses. 

“We know that in vaping solutions, there’s oils like Vitamin E acetate which is the one that’s thought to be probably contributing, there’s heavy metals, there’s poisons,” Dr. Norman said. “And we know that it looks like an oil infused into the lungs that is causing this, but the compound has not been 100% identified.”

The FDA recently launched a criminal investigation into vaping that will focus on uncovering the cause of the illnesses by looking at the chemical makeup of the products and how people use them. Researchers will conduct a forensic analysis of more than 150 vaping product samples to look for the presence of nicotine, THC, and other cannabinoids, opioids, cutting agents, additives, pesticides, poisons, toxins and any other substances.

“We are in desperate need of facts," Mitch Zeller, the agency’s tobacco director, said in a statement. “The focus of their work is to identify what is making people sick, as well as a focus on the supply chain.”

Avoiding use of e-cigarettes recommended

While the investigation into the illnesses is ongoing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised people to consider not using e-cigarette products. Those who use the products should monitor themselves for symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and cough and seek medical attention for any health concerns. 

“We do not yet know the specific cause of these lung injuries,” the CDC said in an advisory. “The investigation has not identified any specific e-cigarette or vaping product (devices, liquids, refill pods, and/or cartridges) or substance that is linked to all cases.” 

The House Oversight and Reform Committee’s panel on consumer products is set to meet Tuesday for a hearing on the surge in illnesses tied to vaping.

On Monday, a group of young climate activists filed a complaint with the United Nations over the lack of government action on the climate crisis. 

The group of young people, led by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, argue that children’s rights have been violated by inaction on the part of world leaders to mitigate the rapidly escalating threat of global warming. 

In an effort to spur change, the petitioners are suing five of the biggest carbon polluters in the world -- Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey. 

“World leaders have failed to keep what they promised. They promised to protect our rights and they have not done that,” Thunberg said Monday, addressing the U.N. General Assembly. "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words — and yet, I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, people are dying."

Action needed to protect children

The lawsuit seeks to have the climate crisis classified as a children’s rights crisis, as well as to convince the five countries named in the suit to set emissions reduction goals and work with other nations to address the crisis.

“Change needs to happen now if we are to avoid the worst consequences,” Thunberg said. “The climate crisis is not just the weather. It means also, lack of food and lack of water, places that are unlivable and refugees because of it. It is scary.” 

The suit was filed just a few days after Thunberg joined roughly 4 million young adults and their supporters in a worldwide strike demanding climate action. 

“We will rise to the challenge, we will hold those who are the most responsible for this crisis accountable, and we will make the world leaders act,” Thunberg said at the New York strike on Friday. “We can and we will.” 

The grandparent scam has proven highly effective against seniors over the years, but now it’s even more dangerous.

Scammers running the ruse, in which they pretend to be a child who has been arrested and in need of money, are spoofing the number of a U.S. District Court so that its information is what shows up on victims’ caller ID.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt reports that the federal court for the Western District of Missouri has recently gotten hundreds of calls from people who claim to have received calls from the court’s number asking for money.

Court officials say no one in that office is making those calls and warn consumers that its phone number is being spoofed by scammers.

Why it’s more dangerous

This new twist makes the grandparent scam even more dangerous. First, an intended victim is more likely to answer a call from a strange number if the caller ID indicates it’s coming from “U.S. District Court.”

Once on the line, the scam unfolds pretty much the standard way. The caller pretends to be a teenage grandchild who has gotten into trouble and needs their grandparents to send money for bail, a lawyer, or both. The fact that the victim believes the call is coming from federal court just adds to the perceived credibility.

In 2015, the average loss in the grandparent scam was reported to be $4,000. Despite repeated warnings to the public, the scam continues to be effective. Schmitt says victims of the latest scam are not limited to residents of Missouri. He says the calls spoofing the federal court number have been going out nationwide.

“I urge Missourians and citizens across the country to follow the tips listed by my Consumer Protection Section to avoid falling victim to these scams and to report these scams to our office – we will take action wherever possible,” Schmitt said.

What not to do

Consumers are being reminded to not automatically assume that a call from someone claiming to know them is real. In these cases, it’s always smart to ask a question that a real grandchild would know.

For example, if your grandson is an only child, ask the person claiming to be him if he has talked to his sister. Unless he replies “Grandpa, you know I don’t have a sister,” then the caller is an imposter.

More importantly, Schmitt says to never send any money until you have absolutely confirmed the person you are talking to is who they say they are. It’s just part of the effort required to stay one step ahead of the crooks. 

“There are scammers who consistently think of new ways to take people’s money – this scam is just another example,” Schmitt said.

Twenty-eight state attorneys general are pressing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to make revisions to its proposed debt collection rule to beef up consumer protections.

In its Federal Register posting, the CFPB proposed changes to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which has been on the books for years to protect consumers from abusive debt collectors.

“The Bureau’s proposal would, among other things, address communications in connection with debt collection; interpret and apply prohibitions on harassment or abuse, false or misleading representations, and unfair practices in debt collection; and clarify requirements for certain consumer-facing debt collection disclosures,” CFPB wrote in its post. 

‘Widespread abuse’

In a letter to the CFPB, the attorneys general contend the revisions ultimately weaken consumer protections.

“Debt collection abuse is a serious and widespread problem for many Michigan residents who work tirelessly to make ends meet,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “Not only will this proposed federal rule allow debt collectors to call multiple times per week on each debt, but it will also allow them to make contact via social media. We expect the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to do what their name suggests: financially protect consumers, and that means ensuring debt collectors respect the balance between lawful debt collection and consumer protection and privacy.”

In their letter, state law enforcement officials say that complaints about debt collectors are consistently among the top categories of consumer complaints to their offices each year. They further contend that deception and abuse are still widespread in the industry.

While praising some aspects of the provisions -- such as unanswered calls counting the same as answered calls when placing limits on contact -- the state officials say other changes leave a lot to be desired. 

Significant change

The proposed changes limit the number of calls per debt, but the attorneys general say the limit should be per consumer. They also complain that the change places no “meaningful limits” on electronic communications.

If adopted, Nessel says the revised rule would allow debt collectors to place up to seven calls per week for each debt a consumer has. She notes that the CFPB’s own research shows almost 75 percent of consumers have more than one debt, which means consumers could still receive dozens of calls per week under the proposed rule.

“More broadly, the Proposed Rule disregards CFPB’s statutory mandate to protect consumers from an industry with a well-documented history of misconduct,” the letter concludes.

Researchers from the University of Buffalo have found that women who regularly consume onions and garlic could be reducing their risk of developing breast cancer.

In a population-based study in Puerto Rico, the team looked at consumption of the two foods and found that eating them on a daily basis led to a significant reduction in breast cancer risk.

“We found that among Puerto Rican women, the combined intake of onion and garlic, as well as sofrito, was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer,” said researcher Gauri Desai. 

How the ingredients help

The women involved in the study were between the ages of 30 and 79, and 346 women without breast cancer were compared with 314 women who had been diagnosed with the disease. 

All of the participants completed food frequency questionnaires so the researchers could determine how often they were consuming onions, garlic, or sofrito -- a popular condiment in Puerto Rico with an onion and garlic base. 

The study revealed that consuming onions and garlic regularly was effective in reducing the women’s likelihood of developing breast cancer. When compared with those who never ate garlic or onions, those who incorporated the ingredients into their daily lives were nearly 70 percent less likely to develop breast cancer. 

According to Desai, the ingredients contain “flavonols and organosulfur compounds,” both of which have properties that are known to reduce cancer risk. The compounds have also been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes.. 

Diet plays a role

Earlier this summer, researchers found that eating less red meat could also be effective for women to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. 

While red meat in any capacity has been found to be bad for consumers’ overall health, opting for poultry instead of red meat can be beneficial in reducing the risk of breast cancer. 

“Red meat has been identified as a probable carcinogen,” said researcher Dale P. Sandler, PhD. “Our study adds further evidence that red meat consumption may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer, whereas poultry was associated with decreased risk.” 

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 3,427 model year 2020 Jeep Gladiators.

The rear driveshafts may have been incorrectly assembled without grease in the monoblock joint.

A joint without grease may overheat and seize, possibly causing the driveshaft to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power.

If the driveshaft completely separates from the vehicle it may become a road hazard. Either of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin October 18, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800)853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V95.

The anti-vaping drumbeat is getting louder in Washington, as four members of the U.S. Senate have asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately ban the most popular kind of e-cigarette products from the market.

The senators -- Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) -- cite the mysterious lung ailments that have been linked to e-cigarette use. In a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless, the lawmakers call for the immediate removal of all pod- and cartridge-based e-cigarettes from the market, unless or until they can prove that they benefit the public health.

The proposal is a sharp escalation of the steps currently under consideration. The FDA last week launched a criminal investigation into the 530 cases of lung illnesses, including eight deaths. The Trump administration is also reportedly considering a ban on flavored e-cigarette products.

Lawmakers fault the FDA

In their letter, the senators denounce what they say has been a lack of action from the FDA when it comes to e-cigarette products. 

“The proliferation of cartridge-based e-cigarettes—and their ever-increasing popularity with children—is primarily due to the FDA’s years-long refusal to regulate any e-cigarette devices or impose common-sense design standards preventing against adulteration, despite having the authority to do so,” they said. “Make no mistake: none of the e-cigarettes, including cartridge-based e-cigarettes, currently on the market have gone through the FDA approval process.  They have not demonstrated that they are safe and effective for helping adults quit smoking cigarettes.”

The lawmakers point to reports of the increasing use of e-cigarettes by people under the age of 18. They contend that five million children are now vaping, including one in four high school students.

In a recent one-year period, 2017 to 2018, the lawmakers say America saw a 78 percent increase in the number of high school students using e-cigarettes and a 48 percent increase in the number of middle school children using the products. 

The senators draw a distinction between cartridge-based systems and the open tank e-cigarettes that are typically sold in vape shops. They say cartridge-based products are often sold in convenience stores and other outlets where under-age consumers have freer access.

Walmart has announced that it will stop selling e-cigarettes and all related devices and accessories at its U.S. locations. 

The retailer said Friday that its decision to pull the products was made in response to “growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty” around e-cigarettes. Walmart said it will no longer stock the products once its current inventory is gone. 

Health officials said last week that more than 530 cases of a mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping have now been reported. Since August, at least eight people who reported using e-cigarettes have died. 

“Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S. locations,” the company said in a memo to local managers, according to CNBC. “We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory.”

Health risks in question

Last week, the Trump administration announced that it’s moving toward a federal ban on all non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette products in response to mounting health concerns related to the products. The same week, New York announced that it would ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other vaping products in an effort to address the same concerns.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disclosed late last week that it has opened a criminal investigation into vaping and the illnesses it appears to have caused. The agency’s tobacco director, Mitch Zeller, said the probe is focused on uncovering the cause of the illnesses by examining the chemical makeup of the products and how people use them. 

“We are in desperate need of facts," Zeller said. “The focus of their work is to identify what is making people sick, as well as a focus on the supply chain.”

Walmart’s decision to stop selling e-cigarettes came several months after it ceased sales of fruit- and dessert-flavored e-cigarettes and raised the minimum age for tobacco purchases to 21.

Leaders in the vaping industry continue to assert that the products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Tony Abboud, executive director of the Vapor Technology Association, called Walmart’s decision to reduce adult smokers’ access to regulated vaping products “irresponsible.” 

"This will drive former adult smokers to purchase more cigarettes,” Abboud said in a statement.

Uber is suing New York City in an effort to block rules that would place a cap on the amount of time that drivers can spend cruising the city’s streets looking for passengers. 

In a 97-page suit filed on Friday, the ride-hailing giant said the cruising cap would "threaten the viability" of ridesharing. It also argued that the cap -- which would limit the amount of time riders can cruise without a passenger to 31 percent of drive time by July 2020 -- was determined based on “flawed and arbitrary” economics, according to Reuters. 

A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio said the rules are intended to “bring needed relief to congested streets and hardworking drivers.” Uber noted that it has vocally supported the goal of reducing congestion but that the rules would hamper drivers’ flexibility. 

“Drivers’ flexibility is already being threatened by Mayor de Blasio’s regulations, and the cruising cap will only make that worse,” a spokesperson for Uber said. “This arbitrary rule used a flawed economic model, did not take into account how drivers are affected by previous regulations, is preempted by the state and was voted on despite the objection of City Council members and community groups.”

The company said the issue of congestion should be handled by the state, not the city. The rule proposed in August is the product of a “rushed and unlawful process,” Uber said. 

“Prior to the City’s consideration of this Rule, the State had already begun to move forward with a phased and comprehensive plan to reduce congestion in New York City, which was based on extensive study,” the suit alleges. “…it interferes with the State’s efforts to strike the balance of burdens and goals it views as most appropriate.”

Over the weekend, YouTube was hit by a “massive” cybersecurity attack targeted at users with high numbers of followers, ZDNet warns. 

An investigation by the site revealed that many accounts belonging to individuals who create car-related content, such as reviews of cars, were taken over by hackers. However, the attack was generally targeted at “influencers” across a variety of YouTube channel genres. 

The malicious actors employed phishing tactics to steal the credentials of YouTube creators in what ZDNet described as a “coordinated” attack. In many cases, owners were sent emails that took them to a fake Google login page. The attackers were then able to obtain their Google account credentials, access their YouTube account, and change the owner and “vanity URL” of the account. 

Some of the affected accounts had two-factor authentication enabled, but ZDNet noted that hackers were able to bypass the security measure. A source told the site that the cybercriminals may have used a reverse proxy toolkit, such as the Modlishka phishing package, to execute the attacks. 

YouTubers who were affected by the attack can start the account recovery process here. 

Rather than dig itself a deeper hole in its trash heap of Windows 10 issues, Microsoft is making a pro-consumer move to try and reverse its recent bad luck with its operating system.

A report from BleepingComputer claims that Microsoft is changing the operating system update process in Windows 10. In that alteration, "optional" updates will be shown in a separate screen that will give users the choice of picking which updates they would like to install and -- more importantly -- warnings about which updates the user does not need to install.

In the past, Microsoft lumped all its updates in an “optional update” bucket where users could select their choice of update and pass on the rest.

Users will have to wait

In trumpeting the update, Microsoft said it’s “working on making it easier (for the user).” The change isn’t immediate, though; it will reportedly be part of the Windows 10 20H1 update scheduled for Spring 2020. Users will also see a screen that lists non-security updates when the change finally makes its way to Windows 10 computers. This could include feature updates (like Windows 10 “Timeline”) and updates to software drivers. 

Even at that point, potential issues might continue to loom. A prime example would be a user who doesn’t want Windows to automatically update their drivers and decides not to tick that auto-update box in “Device installation settings.”

“Disabling automatic driver updates, though, could cause more problems for the machine,” in BleepingComputer’s Lawrence Abrams’ estimation. “This is because Windows 10 may install driver updates that are required for Windows 10 to work properly or for you to be able to upgrade to a newer version.”

Why does this keep happening?

The question on many consumers’ minds might be why these issues keep popping up. One former Microsoft employee claims the company is leaning far too heavily on artificial intelligence and reports from users.

“When something doesn't work properly, (the resulting issue) doesn't generate the information that needs to go to Microsoft in the form of a file which they can load up and then go, ‘Oh, there's my crappy code that broke everything,’ commented Jerry Berg, “but instead they rely on a user reporting that.”

“The truth is a lot of the Windows insiders don't report these issues unless they're catastrophic to them which means only a small percentage of the people hitting the issue are actually reporting it and even if they're reporting it they can't necessarily give Microsoft what they need to reproduce it in a way that they can figure out where the bug is and how to fix it.”

And the hypothesis that AI has too much play in sniffing out issues? “Basically Microsoft has replaced flesh-and-blood humans that were creating these UI automated test cases and unit tests that were running daily against these builds,” Berg said.

“Everything, by and large, by us the consumers now testing this software and sending (Microsoft) the information from our computers ... is great for tuning performance of software and in some cases it can actually help you fix bugs and progress something but they're not gonna allow you to fix bugs where the crash happens outside of the process that crashed.”

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California found that experts could have even more difficulties detecting artificial intelligence (AI) in upcoming elections because advances in technology have made these fake accounts much more human-like. 

For the study, the researchers compared and contrasted differences between bots during the 2016 elections versus the 2018 elections. They found that bots are copying human users’ actions on social media. 

“Our study further corroborates this idea that there is an arms race between bots and detection algorithms,” said Ferrara. “As social media companies put more efforts to mitigate abuse and stifle automated accounts, bots evolve to mimic human strategies. Advancements in AI enable bots producing more human-like content.” 

Bots becoming more human

The researchers sought to understand how bot technology evolved over time by analyzing nearly 250,000 social media users who used their accounts to discuss anything election-related in both 2016 and 2018.

They learned that 30,000 of the 250,000 users were bots posing as humans, and their social media game certainly got more advanced over time. The researchers discovered that the bots mimicked human behavior in both election years by adapting their communication styles to appear more human-like to other online users. 

During the 2016 elections, retweeting was popular among both bots and humans, as the goal was to bring a lot of attention to one specific idea. However, by 2018, trends in social media had changed, and users were less into retweeting and had opted to share their own ideas on their accounts -- bots included. 

The researchers hypothesized that these fake accounts were working to appear more reputable to other social media users by doing everything possible not to raise suspicions about the legitimacy of their accounts. 

During the 2018 election, bots had started creating polls on Twitter and were more likely to engage with other users in replies/mentions to establish what appeared to be their own unique voices and opinions. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that work can be done to better detect which accounts are fake and which are real to ensure that humans are only interacting with other humans on social media. 

“We need to devote more efforts to understand how bots evolve and how more sophisticated ones can be detected,” said Ferrara. “With the upcoming 2020 U.S. elections, the integrity of social media discourse is of paramount importance to allow a democratic process free of external influence.” 

Twitter doing its part

Earlier this year, Twitter unveiled its latest initiative that would help protect users against spam. 

In an effort to weed out spam accounts, the social media platform made it harder for users to create new accounts in 2018. More recently, it limited the number of accounts users can follow in a 24-hour period. Previously, users could follow up to 1,000 new accounts per day, but Twitter cut that number back to 400. 

“Follow, unfollow, follow, unfollow. Who does that? Spammers. So we’re changing the number of accounts you can follow each day from 1,000 to 400. Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine,” Twitter explained.