Recent research has shown that a quarter of all internet traffic comes from malicious bots. These bots are often used to steal personal data, spread disinformation, sow discord and division, and scam people out of money. Underneath all this is a thriving online manipulation market, where fake engagement and coordinated influence operations are readily available for sale.
Despite its scale and impact, this market has so far received little systematic study. In this talk, our guest speaker explores how the market operates – who is selling what, to whom, and why – as well as findings from a recent study examining the factors that influence the cost of online manipulation.
He also outlines potential avenues for future research and regulation, including a striking link between manipulation costs and the price of SIM cards in different countries. Finally, he introduces the Cambridge Online Trust and Safety Index – a free tool that tracks the daily price and availability of online manipulation services, broken down by platform and country.
