[Ads-l] Viewbot, viewbotter, viewbotted, viewbotting

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Many different types of bots roam the internet. A viewbot is a
computer program/process that interacts with a video service such as
YouTube or Twitch. The viewbot acts as if it is watching a video on
YouTube or watching a stream on Twitch. The use of vewbots can
artificially inflate viewership statistics. High viewership may
elevate the perceived popularity and/or advertising revenue of a video
channel or stream.

The use of viewbots is typically forbidden by terms-of-service
agreements. If a person is using viewbots he or she may be banned from
a service such as YouTube or Twitch.

Distinguishing a human viewer and a viewbot is a specialized form of
Turing Test. The task will become more difficult over time as AI
improves.

There is an added wrinkle to the activity. Sending viewbots to a
channel is sometimes used as tactic to sabotage the channel/stream.

Viewbot is being used as a noun and verb. For example:

Twitch Sues Services That Offer “Viewbots” To Streamers

Getting viewbotted really sucks.

Is my video being viewbotted?

We're taking legal action against viewbotting, starting with some of
the largest sellers of botting services.

Viewbotting Exposed - How to spot a Viewbotter/Viewbotting

This guy on Twitch is view-botting so hard right now.

How do I get popular on Twitch? Is view botting at first a good solution?

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