Bots made up over three-quarters of vape consultation responses

More than three-quarters of responses to a 2023 UK consultation on tobacco and vape legislation were identified as fraudulent or automated, according to a University of Edinburgh study. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) detected more than 90,000 such submissions among 118,756 responses, researchers reported. The automated submissions overwhelmingly opposed measures concerning disposable vapes, the study found. Researchers said the responses showed repeated patterns consistent with automation, rather than the varied answers expected from individual participants. The department excluded the submissions from its decision-making, according to the research. After the automated responses were removed, 79.6% of valid responses supported the plans concerning disposable vapes, researchers reported. The study said the raw total, including the automated entries, would have presented a markedly different picture of public opinion. The consultation took place in October 2023, before the Tobacco and Vapes Act became law. The legislation prohibits selling tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, and includes measures restricting disposable vapes and the...