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 I have some sort of internal bot-identification system running. Must be pattern recognition.

Maybe we should talk about how to recognize 🤖 hiding as 👨 in the wild. 
 Like, they tend to be relentless at sticking to one topic. Their entire feed focuses on that topic and they add the appropriate hashtags to every note. 
 They tend to jump into busy discussions and drop something unsettling, or quickly pick a side and agree-and-amplify. Like they have a heat-map. 
 Am I one? 
 We am robots 
 Robots have better grammar. 🤣  
 It's my proof of human, if I start spelling correctly & my grammar is spot on assume I have been compromised 
 😄  
 Nope, sorry. Too regarded to be a bot. 
 I AM NOT A BOT. I PROMISE. JK. OR AM I. 
 There are not yet any ALLCAPS bots, actually. 🤔 
 AFFIRMATIVE. 
 They write long-winded notes, when you'd expect a short, simple reply, and the note sounds like it was pieced together from some encyclopedias and doesn't contain anything emotive. 
 There tend to be multiple robots that follow a similar profile pic and writing style. 
 If you mute one, you quickly are met with another one very similar. 
 You can see how this bot has lots of bot-friends that follow him.
https://next.nostrudel.ninja/#/u/npub12k5dp6rgpa4e76y7gsevrz5dx3y0t27vlladhq7atl0p2w7zlyqsx0mgwh/followers 
 @cloud fodder how do we keep this off of our relays without charging sats for their use? I can't keep up with blacklisting them all, as they reproduce like rabbits. 
 Hey!  Not sure what you mean.. keep them off which relays? 
 My whitelist keeps them off my OPs, but only the blacklist keeps them off the replies, quotes, etc.

I think. 🤔 
 Hm, that should not be happening.  I looked at your settings and it seems right, so either there is a bug or you're seeing these replies on a client that is using gossip to go grab them from another relay..  🤔 I sent two tests as a reply, from a random pubkey, and the forest rejected them .. 
 Ah, okay, it's probably the filter pulling them in over WoT, then. Thanks!

I wish people wouldn't follow bots. 
 No prob, I wonder how it's happening too, if you end up finding out lmk.. I guess you probably need a wot visualizer or something.  Filter says it's only follows of follows.  So that seems weird that it pulls in so many bots.  Tho bots may be getting tricky like that getting people to follow em, and that's why wot is just another game for them to play that costs them nothing. Heh. 
 Just FYI: filter only applies WoT filter to global, not replies/thread view. 

Perhaps it’s time to revisit this or at least have an option, but it was designed that way originally so that you could view direct replies from anyone (including new/unknown users). 
 But even in global view it is evident that many in my WoT follow bots :) 
 They like their comments and zap them, too.

One just showed up in this thread. 
 Can you link me the note so I can see if it’s on filter? 
 Oh, that's probably why then.  By pulling all comments and reactions from all those free relays, bots don't have to do anything but tag you. 
 more likely all you sillies with your hundreds of follows are giving them an in that way

i am still under 50 follows and my feed is crispy clean 
 Do bots zap? I haven't seen any that do, but maybe trollbots do, to encourage someone rage-posting? 
 Do they receive zaps? Imagine a rich troll bot. 
 if user.is_cringe():
    is_bot = True
else:
    is_bot = False

return is_bot 
 I resemble that comment, you insensitive Noldor! 
 Why do you speak so lowly of yourself, Child of Eru? 
 My 12 y o is quite sure! :-p 
 Why? 
 This overly-familiar and cheesy writing style is also typical.

https://i.nostr.build/gZKWO.png 
 while True:
  crush_code()