Finding bots in a pixel-art community
A first audit of more than 100 million records to find automated accounts.
Sample report
Open a sample report
This sample shows the method. Every number, name and account in it is invented.
The sample report did not load. The screenshots on this page show the same thing.
Sample data only. No real account appears anywhere.
The problem
On the community site where I am an admin, cheating was found by hand. We had never run an audit, so this was a test.
What I did
I directed an analysis of the full activity history. It looked for patterns that people do not produce:
- perfectly regular timing
- accounts that take turns
- groups that sign up together
- activity that never rests
Each flagged account got a confidence level and the evidence behind it, so a person could review it.
The result
Some accounts were banned after review. We have done it once so far, and I would do it again.
What this could save your team
The same method finds odd patterns in orders, sign-ups, refunds or reviews.
