Twitter took money from terrorists for blue ticks, campaigners claim
Elon Musk’s X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is potentially violating US terrorist sanctions by allowing groups such as Hezbollah to purchase verification “check marks”, campaigners have claimed.
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a group that monitors big tech companies, said it had identified 28 accounts associated with terrorist or sanctioned groups that had the verification mark.
They include Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, his second in command, Iranian state media and leaders of the Houthi terrorist group responsible for attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Since last April, X has required accounts to pay a monthly or annual subscription to be verified, although payment is believed to have been waived in some cases.
The TTP said taking money from the groups amounted to “a potential violation of US sanctions”.
X removed verification from all of the accounts shortly after the report was published, as well as suspending an account for Harakat al-Nujaba, an Iranian-sponsored militia.
The company said it would “take action if necessary” and added that some accounts may be receiving verification without breaking sanctions.
It came as Mr Musk said he was moving the legal home of his rocket company SpaceX from Texas to Delaware.
X’s official terms of service ban sanctioned entities from making payments on the social network.
The social media platform said: “X has a robust and secure approach in place for our monetisation features, adhering to legal obligations, along with independent screening by our payments providers.
“Several of the accounts listed in the Tech Transparency Report are not directly named on sanction lists, while some others may have visible account check marks without receiving any services that would be subject to sanctions.
“Our teams have reviewed the report and will take action if necessary. We’re always committed to ensuring that we maintain a safe, secure and compliant platform.”
Mr Musk has vowed to limit content moderation in an attempt to maximise free speech on the service, a pledge that has led to the company reversing bans on Russian state media groups and leaving up posts that would have previously been removed.
The company previously verified public figures for free, but Mr Musk has opened verification up to all accounts willing to pay £9.60 a month.
