Getty Web bots are being used to sway public opinion

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So-called "social bots" have been discovered after research found numerous accounts that can post thousands of comments a day, every day, as well as send messages and links. According to Professor Simon Hegelich, in Munich, these robots act like humans and the ordinary online user cannot tell the difference. These differ from so-called "trolls" who are real people, invariably paid to spread comments and hate messages.

Getty People have been employed to leave biased comments

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The trolls can also be paid by companies, political parties or even countries to spread a corporate message to give favourable opinions about them. The German TV documentary 'ZDFzoom', on the public-service broadcaster ZDF featured one such businessman who operated such a company, Maik Satzer, who claimed to have a number of large customers, including political parties, using his services. Mr Satzer said: "Political parties are trying to... imply, or pre-generate, some sort of opinion."

Getty Political parties are using web programs to sway opinion

He claimed that after a political party had posted a comment on a social media site like Facebook it would book comments to influence opinion. Mr Satzer added that it was "a fierce business". According to the documentary, such comments cost between 0.16 and 2.04 euros. All the main political parties in Germany denied that they used these hate robots, although the programme failed to get a response from the Eurosceptic AfD (Alternative fur Deutschland).

Getty 'Troll factories' employ people to leave antagonistic comments