Bot & Automation Detection Policy

1. Purpose

Bots and automation can be helpful (e.g., news alerts, safety notifications) or harmful (spam, misinformation, manipulation). Vibble’s goal is to:

• Enable responsible automation via official APIs
• Prevent malicious, deceptive, or coordinated inauthentic behavior
• Protect trends, search, and conversations from artificial inflation

2. Definition of Bots & Automated Activity

An automated account or “bot” is any account that:

• Posts, replies, or follows using scripts, software, or automated triggers
• Performs actions at a scale or speed not feasible for human use
• Is managed primarily by code rather than a human user

Automation itself is not inherently prohibited; abuse is.

3. Prohibited Automation

The following automated behaviors are not allowed:

• Mass following/unfollowing to artificially grow reach
• Automatic replies or mentions at scale for spam or advertising
• Automated harassment, hate speech, or targeted abuse
• Coordination of networks of bots to manipulate trends, polls, or public opinion
• Unapproved scraping of user data or content

4. Allowed Automation (Under Rules)

Automation is allowed when it:

• Uses official Vibble APIs and adheres to rate limits
• Clearly identifies itself as a bot where appropriate (e.g., profile bio)
• Provides useful, non-harmful functionality (weather alerts, open data, etc.)
• Does not mislead users about being human when that is material to interactions

5. Detection Systems

Vibble uses multiple techniques to detect abusive automation:

• Behavioral analytics (posting frequency, patterns, timing)
• Device and network fingerprinting
• Content similarity checks for copy-pasted or template spam
• Graph analysis to detect clustered bot networks
• Rate-limit breaches and suspicious API call patterns

6. Enforcement Against Malicious Bots

Depending on severity, Vibble may:

• Apply rate limits or temporary posting blocks
• Revoke API keys and developer access
• Disable or permanently ban offending accounts
• Remove manipulated content from trends, search, and timelines
• Report serious abuse (fraud, cybercrime) to appropriate authorities

7. Developer Obligations

Developers building bots or automation tools must:

• Use registered API keys with accurate developer information
• Respect all published rate limits and usage policies
• Disclose automated nature of accounts in bios when material
• Comply with API Terms of Use and Developer Conduct Code

8. User Controls & Reporting

Users can:

• Block or mute suspected bots
• Report “Spam / Automation” from profile or post menus
• Filter notifications to reduce bot interactions

9. Appeals & Legitimate Bots

If a legitimate automated account is mistakenly flagged:

• Developers may appeal enforcement decisions
• Additional verification or documentation may be requested
• Access may be restored with conditions (e.g., updated disclosures)

Appeals for bots and automated accounts should be submitted via:

Developer Support: dev@vibble.com
Appeals: appeals@vibble.com

10. Contact

For large-scale abuse, security concerns, or suspected manipulation networks:

Security & Abuse: security@vibble.com
Trust & Integrity: integrity@vibble.com
Nexa Group Security: security@nexa-group.org