To make “automated accounts” easier to identify, Twitter has begun testing a new feature to label accounts.

Twitter's goal is to make it easier for you to know when you might be interacting with a bot account, but (at least for now) the test is invite-only. According to the test's information page, "…automated labels help you separate good bots from spammy ones, and it's all about transparency."

Automated account labels are essentially intended to clearly indicate that a given account is automated (also known as a “bot” account). When activated, the words “automated account” will appear below the account’s profile name and handle on the profile page. However, you will still need to check the profile page or, on a desktop, hover your cursor over the name to see this label.

Currently, all automated accounts invited to participate in the test must accept the invitation in order for the labels to appear. While invitation-only participation makes sense since this is still a test, it is unclear whether other accounts will still be required to accept the label in the future. If so, then once these labels become public, they will likely only affect verified or popular automated accounts, while throwaway bot accounts may remain unmarked.