User-centric Farcaster hit by bot wave: report

An upsurge of bot intrusions has reportedly besieged the crypto-based social media platform Farcaster.

Since its inception, Farcaster has become known for its preferred client app, Warpcast, mirroring familiar social media functionalities while introducing the perks of blockchain technology.

The platform was supposed to set the standard in the battle against automated spam by implementing a unique combination of registration fees and a pay-per-interaction model. However, according to a report from DLNews, users like Miroyato, an anonymous yet prominent figure on the platform, are voicing their concerns about the decline in conversation quality. 

Even Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has weighed in, suggesting that while Farcaster is flourishing as an X substitute in some aspects, it must now surmount the hurdle of escalating spam. 

@farcaster_xyz feels like it's gotten to the point where it's quite usable as a twitter alternative for lots of people. The channels thing actually makes it *better* in many ways imo.

That said, spam is increasing; I think dealing with that well is the next challenge.

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 16, 2024

The platform, which takes pride in its open-source nature, has witnessed varied responses from its community fighting this digital infestation. Veterans of the Farcaster protocol, such as @geaux_eth, have provided sage advice on establishing a legitimate user presence, advocating for the use of Ethereum Name Service (ENS) to assert authenticity. 

It’s almost too late to join @farcaster_xyz without an ENS and still hope to be seen as a legit user.

Within the last three days I’ve been followed by almost 80 bots and ALL of them have killer 1- or 2-word crypto/NFT/defi usernames.

The only way around this is ENS.… pic.twitter.com/y1Tlyak6ik

— GEAUX.eth | buccaneers.eth | hermesparis.eth (@geaux_eth) February 17, 2024

They highlight that names tied to an ENS, as evidenced by a transaction hash visible on Etherscan, can help distinguish genuine participants from the bot barrage.

Farcaster’s user-centric approach sharply contrasts the typical practices of traditional social media companies that exert complete control over their platforms. It champions user agency, allowing a range of user-designed applications to coexist on a unified back-end. 

This break from convention is placing the platform at the vanguard of the crypto space, rapidly gathering momentum with over 300,000 users and nearly 90,000 daily interactions, according to the latest figures from the Farcaster network.

Moreover, industry observers have suggested that the social platform’s embrace of Optimism, an Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution, and hybrid web2 methodologies promotes a user-friendly environment primed for the web3 era.