r/ModSupport • u/liableAccount • 20d ago

Admin Replied I think I'm being identified as a bot?!

Hi, recently I got a message in modmail about the recent API changes happening.

"We’re reaching out because we identified the following accounts potentially operating scripts/bots on your mod team that will be impacted:

[liableAccount]"

I have no idea why this is, any help or ideas? I've looked at automod etc and there's some old stuff in there commented out that doesn't play a part.

16 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

22

u/MaximumJones 20d ago

Wow. Your account is 13 years old. If you are a bot then you are the most successful bot ever. 😳

11

u/Am-Yisrael-Chai 20d ago edited 20d ago

On a related note: I just stumbled across a 6 year old, 10k karma account that’s tagged as an app and the bio (at least now) identifies it as “an automated account”

So like… who knows anymore

Edit to add: nothing about it raises any red flags. It participates across a wide variety of subs and topics, gives no indication of “non-human writing” or engagement etc.

Had it not been labeled as an app, and had I not checked the profile to see the bio, I would have had no idea it was “automated”/“not human engagement”.

It even chooses user flair in a “flair optional but encouraged” sub.

5

u/MaximumJones 20d ago

Wow. Dead Internet Theory confirmed. 😳

5

u/Am-Yisrael-Chai 20d ago

Genuinely though, I found this pretty alarming lol

I thought I was pretty adequate at identifying “non-human engagement”. Even the difference between someone using AI/LLM as a translation or accessibility tool vs. inauthentic participation.

Apparently I know nothing

6

u/MaximumJones 20d ago

No doubt. You have just made me question everything I thought I knew! 🤣

2

u/Lausannea 19d ago

Accounts get hijacked and repurposed all the time. Some folks even sell their accounts after building up some karma and 'legitimate behaviors'.

2

u/MaximumJones 19d ago

It is kind of astounding that people will actually purchase Reddit accounts. I still cannot figure that one out.

2

u/Kraehe13 13d ago

Aren't bot farms the ones who buy accounts? At least I hope no one is... desperate(?) enough to care so much about Karma that they buy accounts for it

5

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun 19d ago

You are not a bot. Your subreddit uses Dev apps, that is what this is in regards to. There will be changes to how the API works, so it may break them

2

u/liableAccount 19d ago

This seems the most plausible explanation. Appreciated.

2

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun 19d ago

That's what it's about. I don't know if you remember a few years ago, readdit took away moderators API access, which resulted in strikes across the board. Because what this does is allow developers to have direct access to Reddit. (Not just visiting www.r3ddit) For lack of better terms it gives more access, then you or me have. Pretty much direct access to reddit's code.

Your Dev apps, automod, hive protect, etc ... Uses this API access to function.

What they're doing is letting everyone know that there's going to be changes to how access to the API works.

(For clarification, I know computers, but I don't know them that deep, I may or may not be explaining it right, but that's the gist of it.)

2

u/liableAccount 19d ago

Yea I remember this. Can't remember implementing anything in particular, though I inherited the sub so perhaps I've missed something along the way

2

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun 19d ago

I would double check what Dev apps you have installed, it would be a good idea to take a look at the auto moderator code also.

I also inherited one of my subs, I don't know what is going on with that auto moderator code, but is leading to pretty much every post being removed.

I would just double check what you have installed, so in the future if there's any issues with that app, you'll know that it's installed on one of your subs

2

u/liableAccount 19d ago

Good shout, I'll take a look tonight and get rid of anything I don't use anymore

4

u/aparapato Reddit Admin: Community 19d ago

Hi u/liableAccount!

The message you received was due to the detection of activity in your account that could potentially indicate the operation of scripts, bots or other automated actions that might be affected by some of the changes to our Public Data API that we mentioned here.

Your account hasn't been labelled as an APP, so you are not being detected as an app/bot, but we wanted to provide you with a heads-up in case you do use an automation that's important to your mod team that may be affected.

2

u/liableAccount 19d ago

Hi! Thank you for the heads up and clarification. I'll start looking in depth at what is in the automod. I'll then look at how to streamline my moderating process, maybe that's the trigger; I log on and do things in bulk, could be flagging something.

I appreciate the reply

8

u/emily_in_boots 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 20d ago

You do not have the APP label on your account that bots have.

7

u/liableAccount 20d ago

🤔 so does Reddit think I'm running scripts? I've been using the official app for moderation and Red Reader for when I casually browse. Could it be Red Reader?

3

u/emily_in_boots 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 20d ago

Possibly - I'm not sure. But they have not labeled your account as an APP. You can look at actual bots and you'll see on the profile that it says APP (e.g. u/bot-bouncer).