I talked to people behind two escort services’ spam accounts, both said that they provide escorts and use ad services on Twitter. One said they have no connection with the Chinese government, and said they also promote their services on Facebook and Instagram.

I also contacted an ad service seen in two spam posts and received a rate sheet. This business charges about $1,400 a month for an ad campaign on Twitter involving 200 bot accounts that will tweet at least 150 times a day.

Rate sheet: