The legislative fight against socialbots. Some ideas for a reform in Italy

Abstract

The advent of the internet, first, and social media, then, allowed an exchange of contents with volumes and speeds previously unthinkable. Within what are to all intents and purposes ‘digital town squares’ are also active the so-called socialbots. These are programs that, once provided with the login credentials of an account, can manage it autonomously while giving the impression of being a real person. Their speed and precision of reaction in social networks make these software agents dangerously useful for the dissemination of favourable or hostile content. The recent use of socialbot within the electoral and political debate in several nations and its consequences have raised the urgency for state legislators to intervene against this phenomenon. Following the example of the reforms adopted or proposed by various nations around the world, as well as the framework for action set up by the European authorities, several ideas are presented to counter the so-called “bot problem” connected to political propaganda.