Editing Filtering Bot Clicks

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= Filtering Bot Clicks =

== Overview ==
ActiveCampaign’s BotSense feature allows you to filter out bot click activity. This article explains what bot clicks are and how to use BotSense to detect and remove them from your reporting.

== Important Notes ==
* Only users in the admin group can enable or disable BotSense.
* Once BotSense settings are saved, they take effect moving forward. BotSense will not retroactively add or remove opens or clicks from your analytics.
* BotSense settings apply to your entire ActiveCampaign account.
* BotSense is set to “Not filtered” by default.
* Coming soon: Toggle MPP opens on or off with BotSense. Currently, you can turn MPP opens on or off for each report. Learn more about the [[Apply Privacy filter]].
* For beta customers using the bot click filter:
** The current bot click filter toggle will still be active for beta customers. However, you shouldn't use both BotSense and the beta bot click filter simultaneously. To prevent this, on September 26, 2024, the bot click filter toggle will be hidden when BotSense is turned On.
* For Starter and Plus beta customers, you must upgrade to use BotSense. However, you will have access to the bot click filter until it is transitioned out. You will be notified of the transition date.

== About Bot Clicks ==
Bot clicks are clicks on a link or other click-based activity performed by a machine or automated program rather than a human. These clicks are often caused by antivirus scans and link scanners automatically clicking links to check for malicious behavior. These excessive or false link clicks occur when the email is delivered to the contact's inbox.

These bot clicks can cause problems, such as showing incorrect link click numbers or unreliable data. This can make it hard for marketers to know if real people are engaging with their emails. There is no perfect measure for determining bot clicks, but certain strategies can be used to identify suspected bot click activity. As email security scanners constantly evolve, it is possible for illegitimate click data (bot clicks) to still be recorded.

BotSense helps by identifying these automatic clicks so you can filter them out and get more accurate data.

Learn more in this related article: [[Why does my campaign have so many link clicks?]]

== How BotSense Works ==
Our bot detection system uses a mix of smart checks, machine learning, and pattern recognition to identify whether a human or a bot took an action. We compare behavior against a database of known malicious activity to spot automated traffic. Machine learning helps identify bots that don’t follow typical patterns.

While we work hard to avoid mistakes, there’s a very small margin of error that human actions might be flagged as bot activity.

== How to Enable or Disable BotSense ==
1. Click Settings > Advanced on the left menu.
2. Click BotSense.
3. Click the “Bot clicks and opens (non-MPP)” dropdown and choose from the following two options:
   * Filtered out (enabled) - Filters out bot click and open activity for your ActiveCampaign account.
   * Not filtered (disabled) - BotSense is off and will not filter bot clicks or open activity for your account.
4. Click the “Save Settings” button at the top right. BotSense will automatically apply across reporting, segments, and automations.

== What ActiveCampaign Features Are Impacted by BotSense? ==
Once BotSense is turned on, it will automatically apply across reporting, segments, automations, and campaigns:
* Reports: Bot clicks and opens are filtered out.
* Segments: Bot clicks and opens will not be included in the:
  * "has opened/has not opened"
  * "has clicked/has not clicked" segments.
* Automations: Bot clicks and opens will not trigger the:
  * "Clicks a link in an email” 
  * "Open/reads an email" automation triggers.
* Campaigns: Bot clicks will not trigger Link Actions.

You will see this icon for features with BotSense:

== See Also ==
* [Filter out bot clicks with ActiveCampaign's BotSense](https://help.activecampaign.com/hc/en-us/articles/20316268870556-Filter-out-bot-clicks-with-ActiveCampaign-s-BotSense)
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