The hottest Bots Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Finding fake followers, TikTok edition

Conspirador Norteño • 28 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. Buying followers is common on TikTok, with accounts openly advertising follower sales and often showing thousands of suspicious followers.
  2. Fake follower networks show clear patterns — identical or machine-like usernames, few or no real posts, following many accounts but having few followers, and reused or AI-generated profile images — which make them relatively easy to spot.
  3. SMM panels sell massive follower packages and offer APIs to automate orders, so these fake networks can scale quickly; buying followers is a poor investment and just fuels the problem.

Bluesky and SMM panels

Conspirador Norteño • 28 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. SMM panels are increasingly advertising on Bluesky, selling fake followers, likes, reposts, and other engagement that violate platform rules.
  2. Many promo accounts follow and repost each other and several promote the same websites. The panels often offer nearly identical APIs, letting customers automate purchases and replace banned accounts.
  3. Large batches of dormant accounts were created in short bursts with duplicate bios and default images, suggesting they were mass-produced to be reactivated later for astroturfing or spam.

Market Manipulation Through Social Media

DeFi Education • 759 implied HN points • 09 Aug 23
🔮 Crypto Bots
  1. Social media bots can create fake hype around cryptocurrencies, leading to market manipulation. These bots make it hard for regular investors to know what's really happening with price movements.
  2. The use of bots in financial markets isn't new, but the scale at which they are being employed today is greater than before. This raises concerns about trust and authenticity in crypto investing.
  3. It's important for investors to be careful about what they see online. Double-checking information with others can help avoid getting caught up in hype driven by bots and manipulated trends.

Bluesky follower sales websites

Conspirador Norteño • 52 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. Websites selling Bluesky followers, likes, and reposts have multiplied and are easy to find with a simple search as the platform grows.
  2. Many of those sites look nearly identical, use the same chat widgets (often backed by LLMs), and rely on similar hosting, which suggests shared operators or common tooling.
  3. Fake follower accounts show a repetitive bio pattern like “X based, interested in Y,” and thousands were created in bulk, indicating they were manufactured for sale.

Important information if you used my Bluesky MP follows bot

Odds and Ends of History • 737 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. If you used the Bluesky MP follows bot, it's a good idea to change your Bluesky password for safety. There's a small chance harmful code was on the server, but it seems unlikely any personal data was taken.
  2. The issue arose from outdated Wordpress code on a server that was unintentionally exploited, highlighting the importance of keeping software updated. Neglecting updates can lead to security problems.
  3. The creator of the bot took immediate action by shutting it down and ensuring no more data was at risk. He is being transparent about the issue to help others understand the risks and best practices.
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Beating Crypto's Flash Boys

DeFi Education • 919 implied HN points • 25 Dec 21
🔮 Crypto Bots
  1. Crypto markets have their own fast traders, similar to the ones in traditional finance. These traders can take advantage of regular people's transactions, potentially costing them money.
  2. If you've ever swapped tokens or had a loan liquidated, bots might have taken some of your profits. It's important to be aware of these risks when trading in crypto.
  3. As you trade more and increase your balance, the impact of these fast traders can grow. Understanding this can help you protect your investments better.

Introducing the Axie Game Stats Discord Bot!

The Lunacian • 230 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. The Axie Game Stats Discord Bot is now live, helping players track in-game stats for different Axie games like Origins and Classic.
  2. You can use commands to find individual player stats, guild performance, and even recent match history easily in Discord.
  3. The bot is new and will keep getting updates and features. Players are encouraged to share feedback to help improve it.

AI Gets Political

Nonzero Newsletter • 282 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. AI is impacting politics with deep fakes and bots as force multipliers.
  2. Nuclear and renewables are increasing in global electricity output, reaching 46% by 2026.
  3. Efforts are made to broker a deal in Gaza for hostages and to address the genocide claim against Israel.

Custom bots for teaching classes

Solresol • 19 implied HN points • 02 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. Custom bots can be helpful for teaching classes by allowing students to ask questions about the content and assessments.
  2. Setting up custom bots for teaching is relatively easy, but there may be equity-of-access issues for students who do not have access to certain tools.
  3. One consideration when using custom bots in teaching is transcribing lectures with technical terms to ensure students understand the content.

welcome to ~the future~

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jan 16
🕹 Technology Bots
  1. The dominant force in American life is technology, highlighted by the president's role as a 'technologist-in-chief'.
  2. Face Swap Live app swaps faces for fun but also has some sinister potential uses beyond entertaining friends.
  3. There's a rise in inbox bots that assist with scheduling meetings and writing messages without people realizing they're interacting with AI.