Terrorist Groups Subscribed on X for Check Marks

According to reports, there is proof X has accepted subscriptions from groups who aren’t allowed to conduct businesses in the United States, thus X violating sanctions.

According to a report by the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, which focuses on holding big tech companies accountable, X (formerly Twitter), accepted payments from accounts belonging to state-run media outlets in Russia, Iran, and other so-called terrorist groups. Among other benefits, the $8 monthly subscriptions give users access to a blue check mark, which was previously only available to verified users like celebrities, and improved algorithmic promotion by X.

A list maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department states entities that are under sanction, stated  that X’s official terms of service prohibit individuals and organizations on the list from making payments on the platform, the investigation discovered 28 accounts with the blue checkmark.

“We were surprised to find that X was providing premium services to a wide range of groups the U.S. has sanctioned for terrorism and other activities that threaten its national security,” stated Katie Paul, the director of the Tech Transparency Project. “It’s yet another sign that X has lost control of its platform.”

An official statement on Wednesday that was posted on X, the company mentioned that “Our teams have reviewed the report and will act if necessary. We’re always committed to ensuring that we maintain a safe, secure, and compliant platform.” Musk hasn’t yet responded.

During the day, X had acted and removed the tick mark from various accounts on the platform.  Ever since Musk acquired the platform in 2022, the company’s business has undergone several drastic changes. One of the main changes is advertising for a specific dollar fee. The other change is the verification policy that has changed to paying to receive a badge. This leads to a lack of trust between the users and the platform.

According to internal communications seen by The New York Times, X initially gave free premium accounts to some of its biggest advertisers, but even with those, there were issues because many of them were compromised. These messages stated that Monique Pintarelli, X’s head of ad sales for the Americas, asked staff to remove the badges from compromised accounts and ordered an audit of all the accounts that had been given free gold checkmarks this month.

Where is Elon Musk taking the platform?  Can we say that this was this a big bad day for X?

It sure was.

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