An investigation by a watchdog group found that the terrorist group Hezbollah and other U.S.-sanctioned groups still have accounts with a paid checkmark on X, a social network owned by Elon Musk in the Twitter.com domain.
“X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is providing premium paid services to the accounts of two leaders of corporate America,” the Technology Transparency Project (TTP), a nonprofit group critical of big tech companies, said in a report Wednesday. “Many other organizations have been designated as terrorist groups and have been sanctioned by the U.S. government.”
After purchasing Twitter for $44 billion, Musk began charging users for checkmarks previously intended to ensure an account was noteworthy and genuine. “Along with a checkmark to give it legitimacy, “I promise,” he said.
The Tech Transparency Project suggests that X may have violated U.S. sanctions. “The accounts identified by TTP include two accounts believed to belong to the top Lebanon-based Hezbollah leader and accounts belonging to Iranian and Russian state media,” the report said. “The fact that X requires users to pay monthly or annual fees for premium services suggests that
Some accounts were verified before Musk acquired Twitter, but verification was a free service at the time. Musk's decision to charge a checkmark fee means that
Report Details 28 checked accounts
Musk's basic tier For $200 a month. For individuals, the X premium tier with a checkmark costs $8 or $16 per month.
Although it is possible for a U.S. company to obtain permission from the government to engage in certain transactions with a sanctioned company, it seems unlikely that X would have such permission. Rule of X We expressly prohibit users from purchasing X Premiums “if you are an individual who is not permitted to do so under
The Tech Transparency Project said it found 28 “verified” accounts associated with sanctioned individuals or entities. This includes individuals and groups registered as Specially Designated Nationals by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
“Of the 28 X accounts identified by TTP, 18 show that they were verified after April 1, 2023, when It was an existing verified account. The group asked people to subscribe to keep the checkmark, adding, “We found ads in replies to posts from 19 of the 28 accounts.”
X issued the following name Wednesday: “X has a robust and secure approach for its monetization functions, while complying with its legal obligations, along with independent vetting of its payment providers. Some of the accounts listed in the Tech Transparency Report are not directly named on the sanctions list. No. Some may see a visible account check mark without receiving sanctioned services. Our team has reviewed the report and will take action if necessary. We always do our best to maintain a safe and compliant platform. We are doing our best.”
X removes some checkmarks.
According to the TTP report, the account with the handle @SH_NasrallahEng appears to be linked to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. When we first checked early Wednesday, there was a checkmark on the account, but it has since been removed.
“The account, which has 93,600 followers, posts English-language Hezbollah messages and memes criticizing Israel and the United States. The account was created in October 2021, the same month Nasrallah threatened to further escalate Israel's war with Hamas. Confirmed in November 2018.” the report said.