Remember those idealistic times, when the Internet was held up as the great promise of democratising knowledge, a global network where ideas would flow freely, connecting minds and cultures? Yeah, me too.
Sadly, that utopian vision is fading at an alarming rate. Today, the reality of the Internet is much bleaker, a digital battlefield where bots – tiny automated software entities – wage a silent war for control of information, attention and, ultimately, our very behaviour.
It's been over 50 years since the Internet was conceived, and in this new century we've witnessed a silent invasion. Bots – those digital robots operating in the background – have multiplied exponentially, flooding the web with their incessant activity.
Essentially, a bot is a program designed to perform repetitive tasks or respond to specific stimuli without direct human intervention. While some bots are benign, even helpful – think of customer service chatbots or search engines – a growing legion of “bad” bots has become an insidious threat.
The problem is that most of these bad bots are controlled by companies whose only goal is maximum profit. They don’t care about the veracity of information, the privacy of users, or the general well-being of the network. Their priority is to generate revenue, and to do so they are willing to use any means at their disposal: spreading propaganda, manipulating social media trends, collecting personal data without consent, and even impersonating identities.
Recently, I had the opportunity to review the “Bad Bot Report 2024” which you can see at:
https://www.imperva.com/resources/resource-library/reports/2024-bad-bot-report
A report that reveals the alarming magnitude of the problem. The data is chilling. In many countries, traffic generated by malicious bots exceeds human traffic. Imagine: most of the activity on the Internet does not come from real people, but from automated programs with, in many cases, questionable purposes. Not only does this represent a colossal waste of energy, but it also erodes trust in the information we consume and the way we interact online.
And as if this were not enough, the arrival of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has only exacerbated the situation. AI makes it possible to create increasingly sophisticated bots, capable of imitating human behavior with disturbing precision. Distinguishing between a real interaction and one generated by a bot is becoming increasingly difficult, opening the door to new forms of manipulation and deception.
The environmental impact of this proliferation of bots is also worrying. According to some experts, the energy consumption of bots already represents a significant percentage of global emissions, comparable to that of international maritime transport. In a context of climate crisis, this energy waste is simply unacceptable.
So what can we do in the face of this silent invasion? As individual users, we need to be more critical of the information we consume online. Be wary of dubious sources, verify information before sharing it, and be aware that not everything we see on the Internet is real.
It is also crucial to demand that our political representatives take steps to regulate bot activity and protect users from their harmful effects. We need laws that limit the proliferation of malicious bots, that sanction companies that use them for illicit purposes, and that promote transparency in the operation of the network.
However, I fear that the response of the authorities will be, as usual, insufficient. Big tech companies have enormous power, and their influence on politics is undeniable. Will our representatives be willing to stand up to these digital giants and defend the interests of citizens? Allow me to be skeptical.
The fight against malicious bots is a crucial battle for the future of the Internet. If we do not act decisively, we risk seeing the Internet become a space dominated by automation, manipulation and disinformation. The ideal of a free and democratic Internet is at stake. It is time for users to become aware of the problem and demand change. The future of the Internet, and to some extent our own, depends on it.
Will we do it ?
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