Twitter bots are essentially automated accounts that are supposed to make the platform more dynamic, engaging for users and brands alike. A brand can respond to a user whenever it is mentioned, users can auto-respond whenever someone follows them or create an automated list of tweets with certain keywords. Thanks to Twitter’s API, it’s fairly easy to create a bot on the micro-blogging platform.

But, bots have now gone beyond their original noble purpose and are being misused for a variety of purposes, ranging from manipulating a conversation to creating a mirage of someone’s popularity. The bulk of these bots, which pose as real users, have the potential to force something to trend.

While Twitter promised stringent measures against such as bots, a study in April disclosed bots have a sizable presence on Twitter, with estimated number in “millions.” About 48 million Twitter accounts, roughly 15% of Twitter user base, are most likely to be bots, said a research from the University of Southern California and Indiana University.