The use of inauthentic profiles on social media (popularly known as bots) is one of the most recurrent but controversial topics in the debate about the risks of influence operations and the manipulation of public opinion online. With the advance of digital technologies and the constant changes in platforms, we are witnessing a constant algorithmic race (Santini et al., 2018) between those who seek to detect inauthentic activity online and those who benefit from it. In this scenario, there has been growing discussion about the responsibility and effectiveness of the methods used by digital platforms to curb this type of action by inauthentic accounts that distorts the perception of public opinion and can manipulate the debate on their networks.
This case study presents evidence about the activities of inauthentic profiles in publications on X/Twitter in the context of the debate about recent statements by the company's majority shareholder, Elon Musk, against Minister Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil's Supreme Court. Read the Case Study