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We've frequently run across news bots that link material from various sources via automation service IFTTT. We downloaded all tweets linking 24 different sites posted using IFTTT for the last 10 days. #AllTheNewsThatsFitToAutomate
cc: @ZellaQuixote
cc: @ZellaQuixote
These figures show A) the number of tweets and B) the number of accounts linking each site sent via IFTTT. Reddit has the largest number of IFTTT-posted tweets, followed by the New York Times. What proportion of tweets linking each site are automated with IFTTT?
Reddit is again an outlier; 21.52% of tweets linking the site were sent via IFTTT. Tech news site Ars Technica (9.69%), NY Times (8.58%), Tass (5.87%), Sputnik News (2.33%), and Russia Insider (2.22%) round out the top of the list.
What material on Reddit is being linked by IFTTT bots? A wide variety; photography, memes, cryptocurrency, and technology forums are popular themes. /r/PewdiepieSubmissions, a fan forum dedicated to YouTuber PewDiePie, is an interesting inclusion.
Example of a botnet lurking amongst the accounts surveyed in this thread.
Another group of IFTTT bots, this time focused on the New York Times.
