Twitter does the robot 

The popular micro-blogging service, which limits its users to posts of 140 characters or less, revealed that approximately 23 million, or 8.5 per cent, of its 271 million active accounts are run by bots, according to a CNet.com report. These accounts are often linked to an outside app or program that posts regular, automated updates on a user’s behalf.

The information was revealed by Twitter after a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For the purposes of this filing, the site is seeking to clarify which accounts are being run by real people, and which rely solely on automation.

In the filing, Twitter stated that about 11 per cent of its users rely on third-party apps for posting purposes. The 8.5 per cent refers to bot accounts that post automated updates without the aid of an actual human.

Statistics like these are key for the Twitter’s shareholders, as it helps to paint a more accurate picture of the site’s actual user growth rate.