Social media giant X ‘taking funds from sanctioned terrorist groups’

Social media giant X has been selling premium blue tick subscriptions to designated terrorist groups, including Houthi rebels and leaders of Hezbollah, a report has claimed.

The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has identified a number of accounts which it says are linked to organisations that have been designated terrorists by the US or UK.

These include two that allegedly belong to the top leaders of Lebanon-based Hezbollah and others belonging to Iranian and Russian state-run media.

TTP identified more than a dozen X accounts for Us-sanctioned entities that had a blue tick, which requires the purchase of a premium subscription.

Along with the ticks, which are intended to confer legitimacy, X promises a variety of perks for premium accounts, including the ability to post longer text and videos and greater visibility for some posts.

Last year, new X owner Elon Musk said he would begin to “wind down” the blue tick service, which had previously been free, for people like journalists, politicians and celebrities. Under the new rules, anyone opting for a verified account would need to pay a fee.

TTP said the verified status of the sanctioned accounts would appear to breach X’s terms and conditions, which bar sanctioned organisations from having a verified account.

“The fact that X requires users to pay a monthly or annual fee for premium service suggests that X is engaging in financial transactions with these accounts, a potential violation of US sanctions,” the report said. Since the publication of the report, X has removed the verified statuses and suspended one account, for the Iranian-sponsored militia Harakat al-nujaba.

The TTP said one verified account was run by Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, which had more than 23,000 followers. The Houthis are sanctioned in both the US and UK.

The Yemen-based group was targeted last month by the UK and US after a spate of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.