Lately, have you noticed a bizarre influx of peculiar posts flooding your social media feeds? Maybe they look something like this: “i need iptv service please help me…”.
If these scrambled, seemingly pointless phrases have been invading your online space, you’re not alone. It has been possible to come across these posts extensively on X in the past few days, and this shows that a familiar problem has invaded the platform once again: Botnet attacks.
Botnets are the likely culprits of “I need IPTV” posts
These jumbled posts, often accompanied by mentions of accounts like @_Iptv_seller and @Uk_Firetv_Iptv, strongly suggest the presence of bot activity. Botnets are networks of hijacked accounts programmed to pump out spam messages. These bots can be deployed to artificially amplify engagement, promote specific accounts or services, or even spread disinformation.
But why?
The incoherent nature of the posts isn’t merely a sign of a malfunctioning bot. These posts have a few purposes:
- Evading filters: Social media platforms have spam detection systems. By using random, disjointed phrases, bots try to sneak past these filters
- Attention-grabbing: Bizarre, nonsensical posts stand out and could potentially lure curious users into clicking, further spreading the spam
- Targeting: The fragmented keywords are likely designed to capture searches by individuals looking for dubious services, such as IPTV subscriptions
This is just one example from a long list of spammy accounts’ posts, flooding X right now:
I would recommend @Uk_Firetv_Iptv used them for a while great iptv provider.
— Kaison_Zaki (@Kaisonzak) March 27, 2024
What makes these posts interesting is that they come from legitimate accounts, and their comments are filled with bot accounts. The reason behind the spam is likely an attempt to boost visibility and promote dubious IPTV services. This surge in activity coincides with a global crackdown on illegal streaming and IPTV.
As LADBible reports, nearly two dozen websites offering illegal streams of premium content have been blocked recently and those involved in piracy could face harsh penalties, including potential prison sentences.
This crackdown likely explains why spammers are aggressively pushing shady IPTV services – they’re trying to capitalize on disrupted services and worried users.
IPTVs are used to watch copyrighted content without paying to the rightful owner
IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television. Unlike traditional cable or satellite TV, where signals are beamed to your house, IPTV sends TV shows and movies through your existing internet connection. Think of it like streaming Netflix or Hulu, but instead of just on-demand content, you also get live channels.
This service, which is banned in many countries, is sold to users as monthly subscriptions and, in addition to endangering your personal data, it also puts you in a bad position against the law.
There are potential dangers beyond the annoyance
While mostly irritating, these spam fests of posts aren’t entirely harmless. Surely, they clutter timelines, disrupting conversations, and making it harder to find genuinely engaging content.
But the real danger?
These posts or promoted accounts may contain links to malicious websites designed to steal personal information or download malware.
Botnets can be harnessed to disseminate false or misleading information on a large scale therefore it is best to be careful not to engage with any of the links under those spammy “I need IPTV” floods.
Can you block spam posts on X?
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for blocking spam posts, as the methods vary across social media platforms.
On platforms like X, you can often block specific keywords to filter out unwanted content. X explains this can be done through your account settings by following:
- Click More from the side navigation menu, then click Settings and privacy.
- Click the Privacy and safety tab, then click Mute and block.
- Click Muted words.
- Click the plus icon.
- Enter the word or hashtag you’d like to mute, in our case it is “IPTV“.
- Select Home timeline if you wish to mute the word or phrase from your Home timeline.
- Select Notifications if you wish to mute the word or phrase from your Notifications.
- Specify From anyone or From people you don’t follow.
- Under Mute timing choose between Forever, 24 hours from now, 7 days from now, or 30 days from now.
- Click Save.
While blocking individual spam accounts can help, their sheer volume in botnet attacks makes it impractical. To combat this, focus on reporting posts and accounts to the platform as spam or inappropriate content. This helps the platform identify and take action against these malicious actors.
Weirdness happens in the internet, but we users have a duty
While bots and spam are an unfortunate reality, awareness and a few protective measures can make a difference. Of course, such spams appears in your feed algorithmically, but as you can see from this spam, malicious actors are trying every way to manipulate people.
Remember, your online experience is yours to curate – don’t let the bots spam your timeline, and many others, dictate your timeline on X by reporting them.
