Source: Anadolu/Getty
A technology oversight group exercises high scrutiny X, formerly of Twitter, claims to let terrorist groups pay for verified accounts.
ONE report by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) on Wednesday (14 February), claimed to have discovered that 28 premium subscription accounts at X, formerly Twitter, as part of owner Elon Musk's verification scheme, were given to groups currently under sanctions by the United States including designated terrorist groups such as the Hezbollah organization. Memberships, identified by a blue check for verification, cost $8 per month and offer a larger boost from the platform's algorithm. Before Musk acquired the platform, blue check accounts were mostly for celebrities, companies and other notables.
The report details all the groups and individuals involved starting with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah whose account has over 93,000 followers. It was listed as “Verified Identity,” which meant that X received government certification from Nasrallah. Also included was an account belonging to Ansarallah, the Yemeni militia group better known as the Houthis. An account belonging to Iran's state news agency Press TV and one belonging to Russia's Tinkoff Bank were found to have gold checks, which indicate verified organizations. The cost for these subscriptions is $1,000 per month.
“We were surprised to find that X provided high-quality services to a wide range of groups that the US has sanctioned for terrorism and other activities that harm its national security,” said Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project. journalist. “It's yet another sign that X has lost control of its platform.” In their report, the TTP said 10 of the 28 accounts were paying to ensure they retained the 'legacy' control marks they previously had. There is uncertainty as to how these groups and individuals evaded the rules to pay their bills as directed by X. Musk has let go of 80% of staff at X since it acquired the platform in October 2022.
X released a statement later that day denying the allegations from the TTP report. ““Several of the accounts mentioned in the Technical Transparency Report are not directly named on the sanctions lists, while some others may have visible signs of an account audit without receiving services that would be subject to sanctions,” the statement said. Several of the reported accounts were de-checked before the statement was published.
