Bot-like accounts spreading hate and disinformation on social media platform X have had their posts seen more than an estimated 150 million times in the last few weeks ahead of the UK election.

In an attempt to see just how prolific bots are at spreading political messages during the UK electoral period, international NGO Global Witness decided to investigate 10 bot-like accounts on X.

Bots are accounts run by computers that have been programmed to look like humans. Unlike humans, they don’t work or sleep and so can post all hours of the day and night.

Since the UK general election was announced on 22 May 2024, Global Witness found that these 10 accounts have posted more than 60,000 posts, sharing anywhere from 200 to over 500 posts a day.

As a result, the watchdog estimates these posts have been seen a staggering 150 million times.

This shows the enormous influence just a small number of prolific accounts can have. The bots were found to be spreading political messages that are frequently...