spambot

American  

[spam-bot] / ˈspæmˌbɒt /

noun

Computers.

1. a device or program that automates widespread distribution of unwanted promotional content or other spam, as by crawling the internet for email addresses to target or by anonymously posting in forums and comment sections of web pages.

---

Etymology

Origin of spambot

First recorded in 1990–95; spam (in the sense “disruptive online messages, usually commercial”) + bot ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Musk’s primary angle for getting out of the deal seems to be to prove that Twitter has a spambot problem it didn’t represent accurately, and he needs the information to prove it.

From The Verge

It could refer to people having to pass some kind of captcha-style “am I a human” test to post — although, as with spambot bans, if there were an easy way to do this without affecting good-faith users, Twitter would probably have done it already.

From The Verge

Instead of ill-gotten quick money from a real estate scam or a spambot “Nigerian” who promises to share money from a former dictator’s personal bank account, Trump’s marks are motivated by racism, nativism, sexism, authoritarianism, ignorance and a fear of their own obsolescence in a changing world.

From Salon

He has the voice down pat: the cheerful, soulless “Hello!” of a spambot inviting you into an abyssal call center from which you may never return.

From Washington Post

A new spambot called Onliner has been discovered which can bypass spam filters and target 711 million email addresses, as noted by ZDNet.

From The Verge