The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced new regulations targeting the purchase of fake indicators of social media influence in the United States. The final ruling strictly prohibits the buying and selling of fake reviews, comments, followers, or views generated by bots or hijacked accounts.
This move could have significant implications for streamers who engage in view-botting, a practice where services are purchased to artificially inflate viewership numbers on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Kick. View botting has long been a controversial issue in the streaming community, with accusations often arising against popular streamers suspected of using bots to boost their numbers.
Streamers caught view-botting may face consequences as the FTC cracks down on fraudulent practices. Companies and esports organizations that rely on inflated viewership numbers could also be affected by the new regulations.
Streamers and organizations within the content creation business often value viewership numbers as a metric of success. However, artificially inflating these numbers through view botting can mislead media companies and potential investors about a streamer’s actual reach and influence.
In the coming months, viewers may notice changes in streamers’ viewership counts as they adjust to the new regulations. As the government takes steps to eliminate fake indicators of social media influence, streamers engaging in view botting will need to clean up their act to comply with the law.
