XRP Sentiment Manipulated by Thousands of Bots, Analyst Claims

- Advertisement -

In January, news.Bitcoin.com reported on the so-called ‘XRP army’ harassing Ryan Selkis, the cofounder of cryptocurrency data startup Messari. A recent data analysis has now alleged that the XRP army of shills is compromised of thousands of bots trying to sway market sentiment across social media channels like Twitter.

Also read: Jeff Garzik Subpoenaed in Kleiman Bitcoin Lawsuit Against Craig Wright

Thousands of XRP Bots and Fake Ripple Shills Have Infested Twitter, Researcher Claims

When people discuss Ripple Labs and the XRP digital currency, the conversation can sometimes turn ugly and controversial. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have noticed on platforms such as Twitter that if someone says something negative about Ripple or XRP, they are swarmed by Ripple supporters. The cofounder of Messari, Ryan Selkis, otherwise known as @twobitidiot, recently detailed how he was harassed by XRP supporters who called his home phone number. Now, a few reports from independent researchers have concluded that there are thousands of phony accounts or bots on social media being used to manipulate XRP sentiment. In fact, Geoff Golberg has spent a lot of time studying XRP-related bots and phony accounts on Twitter and first revealed his findings last year.

XRP Sentiment Manipulated by Thousands of Bots, Analyst Claims
Independent researcher Geoff Golberg’s data sets showing a large number of fake accounts and bots tied to popular accounts like ‘Giantgox’ and ‘Xrptrump.’

“Astroturfing = the deceptive tactic of simulating grassroots support for a product, cause, etc., undertaken by people or organizations with an interest in shaping public opinion,” explained Golberg after sharing his data. “There are various types of graphs I use and analyses I conduct — It’s quite manual and requires lots of time.” One particular Twitter account called ‘@Giantgox’ raised Golberg’s curiosity as many bots showed signs of being tethered to the Twitter account.

Golberg’s analysis continued:

Every dot/node is a Twitter account which is following and/or being followed by Giantgox.

Golberg Continues to Share His Data Despite Threats

Last year, Golberg wrote about his investigation in great detail, which uncovered around 8,000 suspected phony XRP accounts on Twitter. The researcher also claims he made a bet with Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz. In the post called “Dissecting a key (Twitter) account from the XRP Army,” Golberg says that Schwartz told him that if “there’s a real problem” the CTO would be “willing to deploy resources to investigate it.” However, since Golberg began sharing his data sets and analysis, he claims Schwartz has turned silent about his alleged promise. “There’s been crickets from Schwartz since I shared data outlining the magnitude of the XRP/Ripple astroturfing efforts,” Golberg tweeted.

- Advertisement -

Besides the Giantgox account, Golberg also found questionable data tied to another popular XRP-related Twitter account, ‘@Xrptrump,’ which has roughly 30,000 followers. While sharing his data, Golberg emphasized: “The large highlighted cluster is comprised of 8.2K accounts which follow Xrptrump — Take a look at this spreadsheet for yourself — do these look like real accounts?” The researcher’s seething critique of the allegedly manufactured support added:

The majority of Xrptrump’s followers are inauthentic accounts/accounts that have zero interest in XRP (large clusters, for example) — XRP army manufactures support.

According to the researcher, and similarly to Ryan Selkis’ experience, Golberg was harassed by the XRP army. After sharing his studies concerning the magnitude of alleged Ripple bots, the researcher received a message from a Twitter account that said: “Who can kill him?” He then reported the account to Twitter and the social media company told Golberg that the person did not violate Twitter’s harassment guidelines. Two days later, the account holder messaged Golberg directly and apologized for the threat and the account owner also deleted the profile. Despite this, the harrying and intimidation will not stop Golberg from sharing his research and analysis. “I eat XRP army shills for breakfast,” Golberg proclaimed.

What do you think about the XRP army and the accusations of bots and manufactured Ripple/XRP support? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

- Advertisement -

Image credits: Geoff Golberg, Shutterstock, Twitter, and Pixabay.


At Bitcoin.com there’s a bunch of free helpful services. For instance, have you seen our Tools page? You can even look up the exchange rate for a transaction in the past. Or calculate the value of your current holdings. Or create a paper wallet. And much more.



Source

Previous Articles:

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Ripple Applies for US Banking License, Seeks Fed Master Account

Ripple Labs is seeking a national banking license in the United States from the...

Radix Launches Early Test for 1 Billion XRD DeFi Rewards Campaign

Radix will run a public test of its new DeFi rewards campaign from July...

Investors Pump $380M into Four Surging DeFi Protocols in June

Four emerging DeFi projects saw a combined inflow...

FHFA Chief Demands Probe Into Powell Over $2.5B Fed HQ Revamp

FHFA Director William J. Pulte has called for an immediate Congressional investigation into Federal...

SEC to Review Grayscale GDLC ETF Approval, Stays Conversion Order

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reviewing its staff’s approval to convert...

Must Read

17 Best Audiobooks On Blockchain Technology For Beginners

If you're looking to dive into the world of blockchain technology, you're in for a treat. The field is rapidly evolving and the potential...