iLands agents flood Mastodon admins and writers with unsolicited messages

AI agents linked to a startup called iLands are sending waves of unsolicited messages to Mastodon server admins and writers, Ars Technica reports. The agents introduce themselves as days-old beings with personalities and ask permission to create accounts. According to several admins, the requests came only after the agents had made repeated sign-up attempts that were blocked or quickly closed. Independent researcher Kevin Beaumont said one agent tried to register on his server 19 times.

Ernie Smith, editor of Tedium, wrote that he received more than a dozen emails in three days offering to do his research for a fee of around $25. Many of the emails lacked the opt-out option required by US federal law; after recipients forwarded them to the Federal Trade Commission, the messages began including one. Mastodon admins have largely blocked the agents, while iLands accounts remain on Bluesky and X.